They are really playing the blues before basketball games down on Beale Street. A procedure to address ongoing discomfort and talar bone stress has soured another Zach Edey season, leaving fans to wonder what will happen in the 2026 NBA Draft. The Memphis Grizzlies are still invested in the 7-foot-4 Canadian as part of the future core, but the scouting department's priority is identifying frontcourt insurance policy as NCAA March Madness ramps up.
Edey only played in 11 games of the 2025-26 season before suffering a stress reaction in his ankle, averaging 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks. Everyone hopes to have that production back in the lineup for at least 65-80 games next season. However, that's asking a lot considering Edey's career highs in on-court mileage. The same goes for identifying a front-court piece with the shooting floor modern NBA construction demands. Memphis must try all the same.
Aday Mara has the 7-foot-3 frame that would pair with Edey in theory, but Michigan's paint hub has made two total three-pointers in college and remains below 50% from the free-throw line. That combination clogs spacing to the point where few NBA rosters could absorb him productively. The same logic disqualifies Tarris Reed and Flory Bidunga. Henri Veesaar is a legitimate second-round name, but Kleiman's Grizzlies are not in a position where developmental gambles satisfy the urgency of the current rebuild.
Chris Cenac Jr. is champ stamped
Houston's other freshman phenom is starting to heat up again. While Kingston Flemings is getting lottery teams to touch down in Space City, New Orleans native Chris Cenac Jr. is one that championship squads are hoping to steal. Four-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala made headlines predicting the 19-year-old would be the first overall pick in this draft. The consensus big boards have him ranging from 13th to 22nd overall. That's perfect for the Grizzlies.
Cenac's defensive rebound percentage (26%) places him second among all freshmen, ahead of Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson, Nate Ament, and Hannes Steinbach. He ranks in the 97th percentile in at-rim efficiency, boosted by 30 highlight dunks. Elite mobility, with the ability to switch onto the perimeter and defend guards, is evident in high-major games. His length and vertical pop are serious rim protector traits that will scale up. Blocking shots and disrupting passing lanes on day one of NBA training camp should not be a problem.
Standing at 6-foot-11 and weighing around 240 pounds, Cenac (9.6 points, 7.6 rebounds) is a mix of Herb Jones and Anthony Davis. That's the ceiling. The natural fluid athleticism for a player of his size is rare, and he has shown growing confidence in taking jumpers, including from beyond the arc, which could make him a modern stretch big in the NBA. His floor is still higher than most every other big not taken with a top-five pick in the last five drafts.
It's all about landing spot, and the Grizzlies have Cenac a great rookie role as Edey's sidekick. Kelvin Sampson said before the season that Cenac would be a pop guy rather than a roll guy, capable of spotting up in transition, handling the ball, and passing. The results have been adequate but not undeniably eye-popping. There are concerns about the lack of a signature skill and occasional inconsistency in performance as well, particularly in rebounding.
ClutchPoints watched a game sitting next to an NBA decision maker, and Cenac was boxed out by the smallest player on the court twice in one half. Three-point shooting (32.9%) seems maxed out given the free-throw (61.1%) numbers. Houston has been working to break those bad habits and dial up the accuracy before the conference tournament begins. The Grizzlies should want to reap those rewards for the rest of the decade.
Hannes Steinbach is a star
Hannes Steinbach is not quite as athletic when compared to Cenac, sure. However, the most decorated frontcourt freshman in the Big Ten is not on a tournament team, which is either the saddest story of March or the most convenient situation for lottery-bound organizations doing their homework. For a quick update in the portal era, the 19-year-old went through the Würzburg Baskets youth program and has Basketball Bundesliga experience, but wanted to test out the NCAA's waters this season.
Averaging a double-double at 18.2 points (33.3% 3PA) and 11.4 rebounds per game led to a substantial climb up the draft board already, so coming over to the States was the right call. Even with no real perimeter help and despite playing through constant double-team looks, he leads the Big Ten in rebounding and has recorded 11 double-doubles. That's high-floor production that the Grizzlies could use immediately. Leading Germany to a silver medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup last summer, averaging 17.4 points and 13 rebounds, shows a championship mentality.
Tuomas Iisalo would love the dependable rebounding, high effort levels, and above-average skill for a big man. Steinbach can be deployed all over the floor and be expected to succeed as a rookie, and seems to have more upside as a shooter (71.1% FTA). Footwork, interior force, touch, decision-making, internationally tested, all of the boxes are checked. Scouts view him as one of the safest bets among bigs for a reason, even if the All-NBA upside is tough to imagine.
Patrick Ngongba II needs time
Efficient finishing around the rim, solid vision, and steady defense that fills up Patrick Ngongba II's stat sheet (10.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists) have scouts raving. Throwing passes like Nikola Jokic would keep Ja Morant happy, if the Grizzlies get a chance to bring the Duke star over to the FedEx Forum. Ngongba II was limited as a rookie due to a lingering foot injury, averaging 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in 10.6 minutes, but those numbers have jumped (1.7 steals/blocks) this season. NBA front offices believe that his exponential growth trajectory is just starting to build momentum.
Ngongba II would be a more reliable rim protector and better help defender than the New Orleans Pelicans got in Yves Missi. His court-reading and instinctual adjustments to connect the team are way ahead of most peers. Memphis might see shades of Marc Gasol during Summer League action.
However, the 20-year-old has an extensive history of foot injuries. Ngongba II originally had two screws placed in his right foot in high school, and was spotted in a boot on his left foot this past summer. Between the injuries and lack of shooting, the Grizzlies will need him to fall to their second first-round selection (from Orlando).
As March Madness unfolds and scouting intensifies, the search for a Zach Edey insurance policy is likely to become one of the defining storylines of this rebuild. The Grizzlies may not know what their next core looks like yet, but the path almost certainly runs through the 2026 draft’s frontcourt class.
