Will Zach Edey's Recent Injuries Affect His Rookie of the Year Odds?

Zach Edey began his NBA career with a buzzer-beating Summer League tip-in to send Memphis' game against the Jazz to overtime. The Grizzlies would go on to lose, but Edey finished that game with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks — a pretty impressive stat line for his first NBA game.

Since then, Edey has spent plenty of time on the bench with injuries. The Grizzlies held him out of their next five games as a precaution due to ankle soreness.

He finally returned to the lineup on Thursday, but his playing time was cut short. With 3:16 left in the first half, Edey suffered another ankle injury when he went up to block a shot and landed on another player’s foot.

According to reports, this is the opposite ankle that caused Edey to miss the previous five games. The No. 9 overall pick also walked to the locker room without any help, which was a good sign.

I imagine the Grizzlies will opt to play it safe with Edey and shut him down for the remainder of the Summer League.

Wait to Bet Zach Edey for Rookie of the Year

Dealing with injuries isn't new for Memphis, which was riddled with them last season. By the end of the year, the roster was nearly unrecognizable, so Edey's injury must leave the Grizzlies' front office wary of their first-round pick's ability to stay healthy this year.

It also makes me hesitant about betting on him to win Rookie of the Year at +600 on DraftKings, especially considering he's the favorite. Edey proved in his Summer League debut that he's capable of having a major impact on the game. While it's a very small sample size, he showed that he's NBA-ready and will make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor for the Grizzlies.

However, you won't catch me betting on Edey to win Rookie of the Year for a few reasons.

For starters, I would prefer to bet on a player further down the board to get more value. Edey's 6-1 odds are decent, but with no clear-cut favorite for Rookie of the Year in this draft class, there are other players I like with significantly longer odds.

From reports, it sounds like Edey's ankle injury isn't serious, but it's also the second injury to keep him out of the Summer League. If he tweaks either ankle again before the season starts, it could linger throughout the year and cause him to struggle at times. Plus, based on the number of injuries the Grizzlies dealt with last season, I'm not overly confident in Memphis' training staff.

If you like Edey to win Rookie of the Year, I would wait until we know he's healthy and has a few regular-season games under his belt. This market is wide open, meaning the odds will fluctuate throughout the season and there will be opportunities to grab the two-time Naismith Player of the Year at a high price.