The Memphis Grizzlies just got bigger. The Western Conference franchise made one of the most intriguing moves on the first day of the 2024 NBA Draft by deciding to take Purdue Boilermakers star big man Zach Edey. A lot has been said about Edey and his potential in the NBA, but no one probably has a much more hilarious reaction to Zach Edey's arrival in Memphis than Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant.
The former NBA Draft second-overall pick grabbed people's attention online with an Instagram Story post that shows a Chris Tucker scene on Rush Hour 3.
The reactions on X (formerly known as Twitter) to Morant's post have been just as hilarious. Here are some of them:
“He funny as hell for this lol”
“Ja goin try to dunk on him every chance he get 😂😂”
“This finna be ur biggest post”
“Naw is this real? LMAO”
“Ja seem happy as hell😂ion think I ever seen him react to a pick like this”
“He had 3 stories for him. He's down with him. LMFAO 🤣”
“turns out, he has a sense of humor LMAO”
Will the gamble on Zach Edey pay off for the Grizzlies?
Many were left surprised by the Grizzlies using their No. 9 pick in the first round on Edey. The biggest question about the Canadian center is whether his unstoppable ways on the court during his time with Purdue would translate well in the NBA. Edey will be facing bigger, tougher, more talented, and faster competition in the pros which are factors why many feel that he's not going to pan out as a great NBA player.
Gambling on a seemingly polarizing draft prospect like Edey was not in many people's books, but the Grizzlies showed trust in him and will now have to hope that it pays off, maybe not right away, but in the long run. There is still plenty of room for Edey to develop. He's likely not a finished product yet, so he should get better the more experience he gets in a professional setting.
Coming off a tumultuous 2023-24 NBA season, the Grizzlies are looking to turn things around in the 2024-25 campaign. Morant, who missed the first 25 games last season to serve a suspension missed even more games after suffering a campaign-ending right shoulder injury that required surgery. In only nine games played that season, Morant averaged 25.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 8.6 assists.
After winning 51 games and reaching the playoffs in the previous season, the Grizzlies went just 27-55 in 2023-24. In other words, the reward they got for a brutal season is Edey, who has the potential to be a great fit alongside Morant and, more interestingly, Jaren Jackson Jr. Together with JJJ, Edey can form a tremendous frontcourt who can get things done on both ends of the floor.
The Grizzlies had Steven Adams last season but they traded him to the Houston Rockets, so Edey can be expected to provide Memphis with what Adams used to bring to the table for the team.
Edey started to garner serious attention in college during his final two years with the Boilermakers. During his junior and senior year at Purdue, he averaged 23.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks while shooting 61.6 percent from the field. He helped the Boilermakers reach the NCAA national championship game in 2024 a year after they suffered an embarrassing first-round loss as a No. 1 seed in the 2023 edition of March Madness.
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