The Grizzlies are off to about as bad of a start as anyone could have imagined. Tuomas Iisalo and Ja Morant have tension, Jaren Jackson is mightily struggling, and the Grizzlies are 4-10. Well on Saturday night, the Grizzlies got a boost back in their lineup with the return of Zach Edey, although Morant left early with calf soreness.

The Grizzlies starting five looked like this-

NEW GRIZZLIES STARTING LINEUP:

Ja Morant
Jaylen Wells
Cedric Coward
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Zach Edey https://t.co/CtOE09xICm

— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) November 15, 2025

Edey made his debut after having ankle surgery this Summer and looked energized, adding the much-needed interior threat and screening relief that the Grizzlies have so desperately missed in his absence.

Zach Edey in his season debut tonight in 25 mins:

13 PTS
7 REB
2 STL
2 BLK
3/6 FGM
7/9 FTM

Make sure he’s rostered#FantasyBasketball pic.twitter.com/bPcv7vpBBV https://t.co/i52KKt0gFt

— NBA Fantasy Bible (@NBAFantasyBible) November 16, 2025

Edey was the Grizzlies first round pick last season out of Purdue, with hopes that he can be the Grizzlies center of the future, the start of his career has shown that he has the tools they just need refined.

Evan Mobley was 1-5 when guarded by Zach Edey and Edey had a 100 defensive rating against the Cavaliers. A team that couldn’t stop a single thing, only gave up 108 points (3rd lowest total this season), and with Edey in the lineup the team had a total defensive rating of 102.9.

Edey’s impact was felt, and he had this to say after his first game back-

It felt good. I’ve been waiting all season. My legs felt better than I expected.

Zach Edey

Now there is still plenty of time left in this season the 4-10 start isn’t fatal. Teams have struggled early and turned things around before, and now the Grizzlies can claim momentum from this return. If Morant, Jackson, Edey and the rotation settle in together, the upside is very real. Especially when Ty Jerome returns.

JAREN JACKSON AND ZACH EDEY PICK AND ROLL pic.twitter.com/96p3eR3jrQ

— Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) November 15, 2025

Now it will take work. Iisalo must tweak rotations and get Morant and Jackson comfortable playing together and with the pace and style he wants. But the return of Edey offers a tangible pivot point. With him anchoring the paint, Memphis can reinvent its identity a bit: less reliant on isolation, more on two-way big-man play, better spacing for wings, more second-chance opportunities, and fewer breakdowns defensively.

In short: even though the Grizzlies have stumbled, the rest of the season remains wide open and with Edey now back, they might just have the piece they were missing all along.

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