The Memphis Grizzlies hit a hard reset in 2026, trading away Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant to set themselves off into a new era of basketball — with third overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft Cameron Boozer now set to lead the team into the future. With that said, many expect the Grizzlies to have a bit of a transition year after winning just 25 games last season.

Considering how competitive the Western Conference is, the Grizzlies will be fighting an uphill battle to at least compete for a spot in the play-in tournament. With how young their core players are, namely Boozer, Zach Edey, and Cedric Coward, Memphis might need a year or two to marinate into a blooming contender.

Nonetheless, Edey, who is entering the third season of his NBA career, is raring to prove his and the Grizzlies' doubters wrong.

“We want to show people that they’re wrong about us. We want to win,” Edey said during Media Day on Monday, per Damichael Cole of Commercial Appeal.

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At the very least, the Grizzlies are not going to just give away easy wins to their opponents. They have a deep team with plenty of quality contributors across multiple positions, and their youth makes it so that they have the energy and pace to thrive in a marathon 82-game regular season.

Edey's health will be crucial to the Grizzlies' hopes of mounting a surprisingly good 2026-27 campaign. Last season, the 24-year-old big man from Purdue played in only 11 games, averaging 13.6 points and 11.1 rebounds before succumbing to an ankle injury that required season-ending surgery.

Edey played 66 games during his rookie campaign, so he showed that he's not as injury-prone as he was last season. The 2026-27 campaign is going to be one for redemption, and in a league that's increasingly prioritizing skilled size, Edey could very well be headed for a breakout season provided that he's healthy enough to suit up consistently.