In the absence of Zach Edey due to injury, Who will start for the Grizzlies for the 2025-26 new season? A look at the options!

The injury bug has struck again this summer for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Notable players GG Jackson, Vince Williams Jr., and Cam Spencer were informed by Memphis last offseason that they would not be available to start the season.

On June 7, the club received bad news about Zach Edey’s summer plans.

Edey will miss the start of the 2025–26 season while he recovers from ankle surgery.

This is a devastating setback because Edey starts the game. But because the injury happened so quickly, the Grizzlies can change gears and adapt.

After finding out about Edey’s injury, the Grizzlies can adjust in several ways:

Grizzlies could embrace a five-out offense

Memphis doesn’t lack options to fill in for Edey. Brandon Clarke, Santi Aldama and Jay Huff all played valuable minutes this season.

If the Grizzlies go with an in-house candidate to fill in for Edey, it would be best if they fully embraced the five-out offense. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics are recent successful teams who have prioritized having five players on the floor capable of shooting and spacing the floor.
The good thing about Memphis’s style of play is the players they have.

As many 3-point shots would be made by Aldama and Jackson in the frontcourt as by the backcourt. The extra space could also give Ja Morant and Desmond Bane more room to attack downhill than ever before.
It’s possible that Memphis would not be a good team at getting rebounds. Memphis couldn’t play five out when Taylor Jenkins was their coach because they put too much emphasis on rebounds. If this choice works, it will depend on what new coach Tuomas Iisalo wants to do.

Grizzlies could find a fill-in option in free agency

No matter what happens this offseason, the Western Conference will almost certainly be really good again. That means Memphis needs to win every game that it can before Edey’s return.

The easy solution is finding a player with decent value though free agency.
Memphis should look for a big or tall center. The season wasn’t known for Huff and Aldama’s strength, and Clarke’s lack of size (6 feet 8 inches) against bigger opponents showed.

The Tigers will also have two late-round draft picks in the second round. Before you know it, expecting a second-round draft pick to step in and play important minutes right away sounds crazy. But Memphis has done this many times in recent years.

With the team valuing experience more and more, a cheap option through free agency makes the most sense.
Memphis shouldn’t use most of its financial resources on a player who could end up being the team’s fifth big when Edey is back.

NBA veterans like Andre Drummond, Kevon Looney and Mason Plumlee make sense as quick fill-in options.