NBA Summer League is underway and Memphis Grizzlies rookie center Zach Edey made his presence felt immediately in his debut against the Utah Jazz.
First, on the defensive end:
And then with an easy two on the other end:
Edey finished the game with a dominant stat-line for the Grizzlies, ending with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He also sent the game to overtime with a tip in at the buzzer.
Grizzlies fans took notice.
CBKReport – “Zach Edey is a Summer League legend I’ve seen enough”
AntWright – “Zach Edey gets blocked, stays with it and delivers a poster.. not bad for the worst draft pick of all time”
Eric – “Yeah buddy these Zach Edey screens are insane”
Cole X – “Zach Edey sends it to overtime after a dominant performance in his first ever NBA experience. He’s going to be a monster, mark it down.”
Kevin – “I had a feeling we were all over thinking Zach Edey and I think that's going to ring true.”
It's notable that Edey was going up against Waler Kessler, a legitimate NBA center, not an inexperienced for fringe player. Utah topped the Grizzlies 97-95 in OT.
Grizzlies pick of Zach Edey was panned by many on draft day
The Memphis Grizzlies turned heads in the NBA Draft after selecting Zach Edey ninth overall. It's a big moment for the Purdue basketball star as many believed he'd fall out of the top 10. Instead, he'll be playing in Memphis and now has the potential of becoming the starting center for this team.
The Grizzlies' selection drew mixed reactions from sports fans. Some are simply excited for Edey while others couldn't believe the Grizzlies made that decision. Either way, it's a bit of a melting pot of takes. Especially considering Edey was projected to fall into the late first round or even later.
“This is the most surprising pick so far, for me,” said Bob Myers on draft night. “I just didn't see him going this high.”
Myers added that he feels the Grizzlies selected Edey to be their “next Steven Adams,” referring to the former Grizzlies center who is now in Houston with Coach Ime Udoka's Rockets. He said that computer models are split on whether Edey will experience success at the next level or whether he will have a hard time defending in space and end up glued to the pine.
The ex-Golden State GM said that it will be a “fascinating experiment” to see if the Grizzlies' gamble pays off at the next level. It certainly paid off on Monday night.
Edey won the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons, as he was a dominant force at the college level. He had his best season yet in his final year at Purdue, as he ended the year averaging 25.2 points (career-high), 12.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks (career-high) per game.
Follow Us
Subscribe
