The Memphis Grizzlies have a lot to look forward to this season with Ja Morant likely to play a full season and Zach Edey set to become one of the team's newest frontline players.
The Grizzlies took Edey number nine overall in Wednesday night's NBA Draft first round and many fans are wondering if GM Zach Kleiman made the right move or not. Now, Memphis has the makings of a powerful frontline with Edey opposite Jaren Jackson Jr., the former Michigan State Spartans big man and NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner.
The Edey selection came amid a flurry of surprising top ten overall picks in Wednesday night's draft. The Grizzlies' Western Conference counterparts from San Antonio took a player few expected to pair with Victor Wembanyama, perhaps Edey's toughest competition at the center position in the coming years.
Will Edey have the lateral movement to hold up on defense on a night-to-night basis against adversaries like the man known as ‘Wemby'? The answer to that question could determine how well, or how not so well, his career plays out in Memphis.
Zach Edey Is Not Your Average Big Man
For all the talk about Edey's mobility concerns, the Purdue alumnus brings just as many unique strengths to the table that virtually no other big men in the NBA possess currently.
He is capable of bulling his way into the paint and scoring at will against smaller defenders, which constitutes pretty much everyone in the NBA currently. He holds position in the post with ease and rebounds outside of his area because of his massive frame. He's virtually impossible to move off of the block on offense, and he plays hard and blocks shots with impeccable timing on defense. Edey also has a mean streak which ensures that any team he's on is never out of a game. He can put up five or six buckets in a row with relative ease once something makes him upset, a skill that could become invaluable come playoff time.
At 7-feet-4 inches tall, Edey is closer to Yao Ming than perhaps any other player of the past 20 years, and Ming did more than okay in the National Basketball Association. Edey is not just another strong and powerful “old school” big man, he's a player who won back-to-back Naismith awards as the best player in college basketball for Purdue with talented but not amazingly talented teammates.
Edey averaged 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds last season. Those are Shaquille O'Neal type numbers, and he proved he could do it against the best of the best when he “gave buckets” to Donovan Clingan of UConn in the championship game as Purdue basketball legend Robbie Hummel put it.
Zach Edey Will Have Much Better Teammates At Memphis
Edey has the perfect complement of teammates around him at Memphis that will help take his game to new heights. No disrespect to Braden Smith, Caleb Furst, Fletcher Loyer and the rest of the Boilermakers but Jackson Jr., Marcus Smart and Ja Morant are on a different level.
Each of these players will help make Edey's job easier with a Memphis team that was a top contender in the Western Conference not too long ago.
The upgrade in teammates will give the Grizzlies a chance to take the pressure off of Edey on both offense and defense which could allow him to achieve great results without needing to expend tons of energy like he did with the Boilermakers.
Zach Edey Was a Smart Pick – But Also A Big Risk
The Grizzlies reportedly had their hearts set on finding a way to bring Clingan in the fold but ended up “settling” for Edey when the ninth pick came around.
Most people still think this pick was a big reach for Coach Taylor Jenkins' Grizzlies. I personally believe this was a calculated risk, and a smart one by Taylor Jenkins, Zach Kleiman and the rest of the Grizzlies' staff.
Edey will be a solid backup big man at worst. If the monster in him comes out the way it did at Purdue and he can avoid getting torched on defense by quicker centers, which is likely a worst-case scenario considering he has a former DPOY next to him in the front court, the Grizzlies could make out like bandits with this pick.
Overall I give the Grizzlies a B grade for the selection of Zach Edey. At the very worst, it will help put butts in seats as fans become excited about the possibilities of seeing a real life giant in action with Taylor Jenkins, Ja Morant and the rest of the Grizzlies team.
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