Six minutes ignited an offensive blueprint. Grizzlies envision Morant and Edey's potent pick-and-roll as their future game-changer.
The Memphis Grizzlies have spent nearly three weeks imagining what might come next from a partnership that lasted only six minutes.
Those six minutes — the only time Ja Morant and Zach Edey have shared the floor this season — remain a reference point inside the organization as Morant inches closer to returning from a right calf strain. What the Grizzlies saw in that small window, they believe, could become a blueprint for how their offense evolves once the All-Star point guard is back in uniform.
Morant participated in Thursday’s practice, wearing full gear and a compression sleeve on his right calf while working through shooting drills. Although the Grizzlies ruled him out for Friday’s matchup against the Clippers, his status for the remaining two games of the homestand remains undetermined. Coach Tuomas Iisalo said Morant is “day to day” and “progressing well,” offering his most optimistic update since the injury occurred on Nov. 15 in Cleveland.
It was in that game — a 108–100 loss that saw Morant exit after the first quarter — that Memphis briefly witnessed the dynamic it hopes to revisit soon. Morant scored seven points in six minutes while connecting with Edey on a pick-and-roll lob that produced the center’s first dunk of the season. Edey, making his season debut after ankle surgery, rolled hard to the rim, sealed defenders, and altered shots on the other end.
Iisalo said that stretch laid out the foundation for what the pairing could become.
“That six minutes is a good blueprint,” Iisalo said, via Grind City Media. “He had some good passes in that time, having Zach there as another mechanism to puncture the defense. Getting Zach to roll inside, how that opens up passes, lobs and (Morant’s) own finishing – we saw that in those six minutes.”
Iisalo added that Morant’s defensive activity next to Edey’s paint protection was just as encouraging.
He expanded on that by saying, “I know he’s very excited about the prospect of getting to play soon with Zach again.”
Edey has since become one of Memphis’s most important pieces, anchoring the team during its recent 5–3 stretch without Morant. He was nominated for Western Conference Player of the Week after averaging 19.3 points, 17 rebounds and 3.3 blocks over his past three games, giving the Grizzlies interior dominance they lacked early in the year.
The rookie center said he still thinks about that short stint with Morant — and what it might become. He expressed that hope on Thursday.
“In those six minutes in Cleveland, I thought we were looking really good,” Edey said. “Just playing with him, he opens up so much offensively and he’s got great vision. I just wish we could have kept pushing and going with it, but (injuries) happen. Soon, we’re going to get back to that.”
Memphis has played its best basketball of the season without Morant, stabilizing after losing nine of ten and climbing to 9–13 entering the weekend. But the Grizzlies’ offense has lacked late-game creation and a steady closer — an area where Morant’s return could make an immediate difference.
With only three games scheduled in the next 10 days, the Grizzlies have a rare pocket for recovery, rhythm-building, and practice time. And with Edey emerging as a force on both ends, the organization is eager to see whether six minutes can grow into something far more consequential.