The Memphis Grizzlies shocked many when they selected Zach Edey with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Edey was a very polarizing player in terms of opinion leading up the draft with fans and pundits split on how impactful he would be in the NBA. But there are two prominent figures who believe he will be successful. On a recent episode of ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq,' Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway both acknowledged that Zach Edey will be an impact guy for the Grizzlies.
“Zach Edey, come on man, he's not some bum, Zach Edey can really play,” Hardaway said. “Now on this level of the NBA, it's going to be faster, guys are going to be pulling him out of the paint and bringing him on the perimeter. But if you watched him, he's pretty mobile to be that big, he's not this slow guy that can't move so I think for the times that they pull him out to the perimeter, he'll have to go out there and learn how to play but anything coming to that basket, man he's coming weak side and going to protect the rim.
Shaquille O'Neal then brought up a good point regarding Zach Edey and the modern day big man. O'Neal wondered if NBA teams are going to ever stop trying to do what everyone else is doing and go back to forcing teams to matchup with them in the paint like when O'Neal dominated the NBA.
“When are we going back to old school basketball. You just talked about all the drop coverage and doing all the switching,” O'Neal said. “Why don't we go back to the old school, you're a 7 foot I don't want you guarding Dame Lillard when they go to the 1-5 pick and roll. So back in our day it was all about adjustments, when are we going to make those adjustments again rather than just doing what everybody else is doing.”
Zach Edey set to make major impact for Grizzlies
NBA Summer League isn't always the best indication for how a player's game might translate to the NBA, but it's a good first step for incoming rookies. In Zach Edey's case, it might a bit of a glimpse into how he could perform in the league.
Edey faced questions about his mobility and skill-set coming into the draft. Most mock drafts did not have him being selected in the lottery. People wondered whether Edey's traditional big man game would do well in the NBA considering the shift to more of a perimeter based game.
Edey has played in one Summer League game for the Grizzlies so far. He finished that game with 14 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots. He shot 7-of-12 from the field. And he was playing against an NBA caliber center in Walker Kessler.
Edey has a shot to be the Grizzlies starting center on opening night. With Jaren Jackson Jr. as the starting power forward, the only other NBA rotation caliber big men on the roster are Brandon Clarke who is coming off injury recovery and Santi Aldama.
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