After two ankle surgeries in less than a year, Zach Edey is finally back on an NBA court. The Memphis Grizzlies center was set to make his preseason debut against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, and head coach Tuomas Iisalo made it clear that the recovery has gone exactly as the team hoped.

“This was pretty much the best-case scenario that we had planned, and there was nothing that prevented us from going through,” Iisalo said, per Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal.

The Grizzlies have said Edey is fully cleared, but they are still monitoring him closely. Iisalo added that Memphis will be “very conservative” with his minutes.

That caution makes sense given what Edey has been through. The 7-foot-3 center first had surgery on his left ankle in June 2025 to address laxity in the joint, which delayed his season debut until Nov. 15. Less than a month later, he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in the same ankle.

Edey managed just 11 games during the 2025-26 campaign, averaging 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 25.8 minutes per game. On March 3, he underwent a second procedure to address ongoing discomfort and stress in the talus bone while reinforcing the ligaments on the inside of the ankle. The surgery ended his season, though the team expected a full recovery in time for this year.

The priority for Edey all along has been the regular season, and the Grizzlies are pleased with where he stands just two weeks before the opener.

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Memphis is easing its entire rotation into the preseason. No player logged 20 minutes in the opener, a win over the Atlanta Hawks on October 5, and Ty Jerome and Quinten Post only played in the first half.

Edey's return could not come at a better time for a franchise in transition. The Grizzlies traded Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz in February and sent Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers in June, leaving a young roster in need of a defensive anchor. A healthy Edey gives Memphis a towering presence in the paint that it badly missed last season.

The Grizzlies open the regular season on October 21 at FedExForum against the Jazz.