The Memphis Grizzlies have been banged up to start the season, but Ja Morant's return to form has seemingly righted the ship. However, Taylor Jenkins giving Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey room to grow on the court is already paying dividends as well. Wells has been outstanding in some huge, game-changing moments on both ends of the floor. Edey's stats suggest more incremental gains are to be expected from the big man, but the Purdue alum is noticing small improvements are being noted daily.
“I'm just trying to take it game by game, get better every game,” Edey explained. “That's kind of what I did in college. Nobody really knew me when I was a freshman, but people knew me by the time I was a senior. So, I'm just trying to take it like that, game by game.”
It took a handful of games to get up to speed, but Edey is now checking boxes on the Rookie of the Year requirements list. His rookie Game 6 was a game to remember. Edey stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block in a wire-to-wire road win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jenkins detailed why the franchise was all-in on Edey's long-term development and how that process would look this season during Media Day.
“I'm going to challenge him to continue to grow versatility on the outside being able to shoot the 3-ball, being able to defend on the perimeter, too. I think this guy is fully capable of it,” Jenkins said. “It is going to take time as he adapts to the physicality and the speed, the game strategies and tendencies of the league.”
Edey has proven an ability to hit three-pointers and pulled down a double-double. The Grizzlies will keep giving their most recent first-round investment opportunities. Now it's all about consistency for last year's NCAA National Player of the Year.
Grizzlies giving Zach Edey room to grow
Zach Edey's stats in October were hit-and-miss at best when looking at the traditional categories that get attention. Sure, Edey was second in total points and first in shots made but he had only two assists and two blocks in over 106 minutes. The big man was not functioning well in the up-tempo system and even Edey's free throw numbers suffered (30%).
One defensive number was downright Halloween-scary. Edey sat 43rd out of all rookies in defensive win shares and had the fourth-worst defensive field goal percentage in the opening month. The 7-foot-4 phenom did not deflect a single pass. However, there were good signs that made it easy for Jenkins to ignore Edey's negative net rating (-11.7) over a small six-game sample size.
First, the Grizzlies were not fully healthy so everyone's role were a bit skewed to start the season. Second, Edey was not getting run off the court by any means or being pushed off spots. The trademark mid-paint hook shot just was not falling quite as often. Furthermore, officials had a few bad calls that had let opponents off the hook. Edey, effectively, had to adjust to a new rookie whistle as the referees got used to his playing style.
Fouls have been an issue but deterring shots is a mastered art at this level. Still, Edey has not shied away from any challenge. He is third overall among rookies in contested two-pointers and is holding firm in perimeter pick-and-roll actions.
Edey topped 10 points once in his first four NBA games while averaging five rebounds per game. The rookie has posted near double-doubles over the past two games. He has eight fouls over the past three games after racking up 14 fouls in the first three.
It's too early to make any sweeping judgments. However, it is easy to see why Jenkins and the Grizzlies are going to give Edey plenty of room to grow before the playoffs begin. Memphis needs to know just how much they can lean on Edey's skillset, and how much it can be sharpened before an NBA Playoffs series tips off.
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