Grizzlies Need More From Zach Edey Despite 6-1 Start

The Memphis Grizzlies have shocked the NBA world with their 6-1 start. They still need more from third-year big man Zach Edey.

His limited production has been mostly overlooked. That’s because the Grizzlies have been so good. Fair enough, but if they’re going to sustain their level of play and make a playoff run, they’re going to need Edey to start producing.

As of now, he isn’t giving them much.

This is a player who is generally viewed as having star potential. Yet, if you look at his 2026-27 numbers, you’d think he was a role player. Through six games, Edey is averaging 6.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game.

So what’s going on here?

Largely, he tends to commit fouls. Edey is averaging 3.7 per game. He fouled out of Monday’s 135-134 overtime loss to New Orleans after 19 minutes, finishing with 6 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. It was the third straight game in which he played 20 minutes or fewer.

Is he also on a minutes restriction? It’s hard to say, and we can’t know until Edey can get through games without committing so many fouls. Until then, it wouldn’t matter if Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo wanted to play Edey 48 minutes. Memphis held him out of the Oct. 25 game at Sacramento for injury management.

This has been a problem for Edey, but it’s getting worse. Last season, he was committing 4.7 fouls per 36 minutes, consistent with the 4.6 per 36 he committed as a rookie. This year, Edey is committing a staggering 6.6 fouls per 36 minutes.

Per 36 is generally seen as a good measure because it’s roughly the minutes a starter would play in a game of basketball. So, this stat is telling us that in a typical game where Edey played 36 minutes, he would foul out.

That’s a problem.

Nobody is expecting Edey to play 36 minutes on a regular basis. Most big men don’t, and Edey is the biggest man in the league. Still, it would be nice if he could be relied on for major minutes from time to time.

Is anything else going wrong for Edey?

Well, last year, Edey averaged 19.0 points per 36 minutes. This year, he’s averaging 12.3 points per 36 minutes. So yes, there’s something else going on besides the fouling.

At times, Edey has looked tentative. It may be a matter of adjusting to playing with Cameron Boozer, or just a matter of adjusting from his injury. Edey played only 11 games last season before undergoing surgeries on his left ankle and left elbow in March. Either way, he needs to fix it soon.

For now, Memphis is winning without him. If Edey can’t be a dynamic offensive threat, that could change. More broadly, Edey isn’t just part of the team’s present — he’s supposed to be an integral part of their future. If this is who he is, that’s not likely to happen. Luckily, Edey has mostly looked the part of a dominant force when he’s been healthy at the NBA level. He averaged 13.6 points and 11.1 rebounds in 25.8 minutes over those 11 games last season.

If he can regain that form, the Grizzlies will continue to surprise people.