When Zach Edey has been on the court this season, the Memphis Grizzlies have outscored their opponents by 17.7 points per 100 possessions. When Edey is off the court, the Grizzlies get outscored by 8.2 per 100 — that’s a 25.9 points per 100 swing with him on the court.
Which is why this is such bad news in Memphis: Edey will be out at least a month due to a stress reaction in his left ankle, the team announced Thursday. This is the same ankle on which Edey had offseason surgery, which caused him to miss the first 13 games of the season.
Edey’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN’s Shams Charania, “This is a management plan to optimize Zach’s long-term health in consultation with the Grizzlies and medical experts. Following this step, the short- and long-term prognosis for Zach is excellent.”
This is a rough blow for a Memphis team that had gone 7-2 in its last nine and started to string together some wins, and is expected to get Ja Morant back soon from the calf strain that sidelined him.
With Edey out, expect Jock Landale to become the starting five for a while, with Jaren Jackson Jr. spending more time at center as well.
In the same announcement, the Grizzlies said that wing John Konchar will have surgery to repair a UCL tear in his left thumb. The team did not provide a timeline for his return, but this injury usually keeps players out at least a month.
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