A Jaren Jackson Jr. injury early in the first quarter changed the look of the Memphis Grizzlies frontcourt. Zach Edey was still in, but he played alongside of GG Jackson.
Santi Aldama was also out, so Memphis was low on preferred options in the frontcourt. As a result, Memphis gave up 82 paint points in a 132-130 loss on Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks in FedExForum.
Edey played a large role as an offensive scorer with Jaren Jackson Jr. out. He sealed defenders more often and looked to get more post touches. He scored the final Grizzlies basket after a dunk on a pass from Desmond Bane.
While his night was encouraging, Memphis needed more.
The Grizzlies have loss three games in a row. After the game, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said there was no update on Jackson.
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If Jackson misses time, Memphis will need Edey to become a more consistent scoring threat in the post to help balance out the offense.
Here is how Edey fared on Monday night against the Hawks.
Zach Edey’s stats vs Hawks
Minutes: 26:13
Points: 15
FG: 6-for-8
3PT: 1-for-1
FT: 2-for-2
Rebounds: 5
Assists: 2
Steals: 0
Blocks: 1
Turnovers: 0
Fouls: 2
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.