Memphis Grizzlies Have UNLEASHED Zach Edey

Memphis Grizzlies Have UNLEASHED Zach Edey

Yo, what’s going on, guys? And today, of course, we got to talk about how great Zagy has been for this Grizzly squad. And I personally think this is a battle that they should, you know, be praising that they or, you know, a win in a season that’s starting to slowly turn around. And albeit their biggest, you know, detriment outside of the Iselo is E iselo or Isalo. It’s Iselo. I’ve heard people say recently. Either way, outside of the the John Morant drama that seems to happen at least once a year, let’s break down like we’re drawing up a game plan. What we’re seeing in Memphis isn’t an accident. It’s architecture. Zack Edy has gone from someone that people deemed a potential project to a franchise pillar. I wouldn’t say cornerstone, but someone that they deem integral. And he’s doing it by executing the exact blueprint that head coach Tomas Eo is laid out. And this isn’t just a hot streak. This is the system turning a unique weapon into the team’s building block alongside hopefully John Moran and Jiren Jackson Jr. in the process. So, let’s start with the numbers because they don’t lie. Since Edy returned from the ankle surgery on November 15th, the Memphis Grizzlies entire identity has shifted. I really feel like this has been a tale of two teams. And look at the Sacramento game. 32 points, 17 rebounds, 16 of 20 from the floor in 29 minutes. That’s utter dominance. But it’s the advanced metrics that the real story. a plus 39 in a close game against New Orleans. That’s amazing. It means when Zack Ed’s on the floor, the Grizzlies aren’t just winning possessions, they’re building insurmountable leads that it just makes winning easier. And he’s doing this while Jawsman out with a calf injury, proving that his production isn’t just a byproduct of star creation. He’s generating offense for himself and for others. And the impact is most visible in the pain. Before his return, this team was ranked 26 in points in the pain. That’s a failure for a franchise that led the league in the category for years with Jonas Valudis, Steven Adams, and obviously John Morant loving his paint touches. But since November 15th, they’re averaging 15 and a half offensive rebounds a game, outrebounding opponents by nearly 13 per game. And I’ve always said offensive rebounds, just rebounds in general, allow you to physically impose your will against your opponent. And when you physically impose your will against your opponent, you demoralize them. They’re just like, “How do I beat this guy? How do I beat this guy? They just keep beating me. They keep beating me.” And not just that, it creates second chance opportunities by, you know, put backs or, you know, kick outs to open three-point shooters. And it also fast, you know, on the defensive side, it starts fast breaks and, you know, allows you to have a quick and better transition game. So, to me, that’s one of the biggest things. And look, I think that’s just a structural fix. It’s not flashy, but it’s I think foundational. In football, you build from the trenches. I think in basketball, you got to build from the boards. And it’s no coincidence this rebounding average jumped from 7.6 under Taylor Jenkins to now with Tomas Eelo averaging almost 14 boards a game. I think this system is putting him in a position to succeed. And now with the core, this is where it gets really interesting due to the fact that Jiren Jackson Jr. and him are a perfect fit, especially with Santi Alama and the rest of the core. I really do enjoy the fact that this is a squad that is looking like they could make the most out of just being big. And I think being big is one of the biggest things is that Edy is a liberation. Ed’s size and the fact that he has almost a 10- foot standing reach is something that allows him to take the primary assignment against the league’s bruising centers. That being Jokic and if Embiid’s healthy, you know, we mentioned Jonas Valuna, Steven Adams, Alprin Shingun, Domonis, and that frees up Triple J to be this weak side disruptor. And you know, the former defensive player of the year is meant to be this free safety who gets to play and clean up the rim when guards get blown by instead of wearing down a wrestling match every night against the most grueling players. And then for John Moran, he’s a runway. He’s this immovable immovable highgravity screener who’s a vertical spacer. For anybody who doesn’t know that, because of his size and all that, he pulls the defenses out of the paint or sucks them into the paint. It creates the space for, you know, either to drive or for three-point shooting. That’s the other great thing about this is that for John Mor when he comes back, you remember what he was able to do with Steven Adams who set the kind of bone jarring picks and created the lanes for him to take off. And Zack Ed is going to be able to do that. And he rolls hard. He’s got great hands and he’s got solid touch. and he forces the defenses into a no-win situation. They’re either going to be committing to jaw driving to the rim or they’re going to have to give up the lob or an open three to either Cedric Coward or Jaylen Wells or Jiren Jackson Jr. or one of the other shooters cuz they’re actually if they’re healthy they have a bunch of shooters. Contavius Codwell Pope and Zack Eye actually draws fouls. He can put the opposing team in the bonus early which changes the entire math for every Grizzly driver. People talk about Spacey, but Edy creates it through contradiction. That’s called inverted spacing. I mean, maybe one day he shoots threes, but right now he’s not a three-point shooter. And he’s extremely interior gravity demands a defensive collapse, which creates that inverted spacing. That pull helps away helps by taking the help away and it creates in my opinion a real functioning spacing for shooters like Triple J Cedric Coward Contavius Cowell Pope obviously when Tai Jerome’s healthy Santi Alama and Vincent Williams and whoever it’ll be by basically pulling away help creating floor spacing so you have five guys standing around or really four out at times in the three-point line. And this is all by Isol’s design. His system, if you even go back to what he was doing at Paris Basket, is built on pace, coherence, and target hunting. And Edy is the ultimate interior target. The offense runs actions 4-2 pin series ball screens designed to hunt him in high percentage areas. Defensively, Iselo demands that the Grizzlies quote be good at things which happen most end quote, which is pick and roll defense. and he’s coaching Zack Edy to be like the ultimate like drop big in these and we’ve seen like drop coverage is being great for these pick and roll situations to play closer at the level of the the screener but then also be able to drop quickly to aggressively disrupt the ball handler early and it’s kind of this like specialized drop coverage that requires discipline and a trust in Triple J being the weak side rim protector as like the last man resort and Eelo has already been publicly coaching him on this and critiquing his pick and roll defense early in the Lakers game showing that this is a deliberate focus of the the team’s development. So to me, I think that’s just a good coaching and we’ve known Iselo being able to do this. And looking at the rest of the roster, Ed’s emergence solidifies him as the starting center. Then Triple J’s back to his natural power forward position and they kind of like Santiama playing, you know, either six-man or like the combo forward to be huge. And they have Cedric Coward and obviously Jaylen Wells and Contavius Cwell Pope. So for and when Brandon Clark comes back, Esau is just going to have like a bunch of different looks. So to me, I think they’ve really done a good job of building this Grizzlies identity to be a Danty, gritty team that is able to either play pushing the pace or play massive. And for the most part, I think they want to play massive as he’s restored the pain score and the rim protection that they wanted. and he’s mastering Iselo’s aggressive coverage scheme, which I think is the the new defense, and he’s developing his short roll pass. As the defense collaps on him, Ed’s being able to read and find cutters and shooters. And then being able to play fast has been huge. And Edy, which a lot of people when you would see someone as mammoth as he is, would not think a behemoth could move as quick as he does. And to a lot of people’s surprise, he moves well. So bottom line, I think Zack Edy is the team’s anchor. He’s a structural piece and he lets the star shine and he executes the coach’s vision. I don’t think this is a a surprise that things are working out to Eelo and maybe Zack Kleman’s liking. And the Grizzlies ceiling, I think, is looking better than what people would have suggested. That’s where I want to hear your guys’ thoughts in the comments. By the way, is it Isallo or Iselo? I’m pretty sure it’s Iselo. I thought it was Isallo when he first started out with the team, but I’ve heard other sports journalists and pundits say Iselo. So that’s why I said Iselo. By the way, the Memphis Grizzlies, if the New Orleans Pelicans are the poster child for terrible like health, luck, and that one might be the result of just lack of assets. The the Grizzlies might actually have the worst injury luck in the NBA. And it’s been going on for the last several years, ever since they had those backto back two seats finishes with Zack Edy. He’s obviously always been an anomaly. And to me, I for one have thoroughly been impressed by I mean, I said it during the combine, he moves way better than you would think. And going back to the the Grizzlies injuries, this is a a team that let me just read you their injury report as right now. I was there and I was the one who reported Ty Jerome being hurt and he’s out with that calf injury still. John Morant, Javon Small, Brandon Clark, Scotty Pippen Jr. like older guards are hurt. They the only team with worst guard play at this point is the Dallas Mavericks. And the Dallas Mavericks chose to do that while the Grizzlies went out and tried to fix their guard problem, but they weren’t able. I mean, I wouldn’t even say they weren’t able to. It’s more so they they had a plan and that plan is not going to according to plan due to the fact the health situation is that bad. So, if you made it to the end of the video, let me hear your thoughts down below.

Zach Edey’s rise in Memphis isn’t luck — it’s architecture. Since returning from ankle surgery on November 15th, Edey has gone from long-term project to structural pillar in Head Coach Tuomas Iisalo’s system. This isn’t a hot streak; this is Memphis executing a blueprint that elevates Edey, frees up Jaren Jackson Jr., and gives Ja Morant the interior force he’s always needed.
Edey’s impact jumps off the page. A 32–17–16 performance against Sacramento, a +39 in a tight game versus New Orleans — these are domination metrics. And he’s doing it while Ja is out, proving his production isn’t dependent on star creation. Since his return, the Grizzlies have restored their old identity: elite rebounding, physical interior scoring, and complete control of the paint. The system has unlocked him — his boards jumped from 7.6 to 13.4 per game under Iisalo, and Memphis is outrebounding opponents by nearly 13 a night.
His fit with the core is where the game plan becomes obvious. Edey takes the heavy center matchups, letting JJJ slide back into his ideal weak-side disruptor role. For Ja, he’s the runway — a massive screener with real roll gravity, reviving the Steven Adams synergy Memphis thrived on. He collapses defenses without spacing the floor, opening clean looks for shooters and cutters.
Offensively and defensively, this is Iisalo’s design: pace, target-hunting actions, aggressive P&R coverage, and disciplined interior structure. Edey is the anchor of it all. The rotation fits around him — JJJ at the four, Landale as the change-of-pace big, Aldama providing versatility, and Brandon Clarke returning soon to add athletic contrast.
To maximize this surge, Memphis must keep sharpening the details: tighten Edey’s pick-and-roll defense, build his short-roll passing reads, and manage pace so his minutes stay dominant.
Bottom line: Zach Edey is no longer a developmental bet. He’s the foundation of Memphis’ new identity — and the Grizzlies’ ceiling just rose with him.
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I own none of the footage in the video, it is intended for the purposes of critique and education.