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Zach Edey entered the 2024 NBA Draft as one of the most divisive prospects in recent memory. With the modern NBA trending more towards speed and skilled size, Edey's game appeared to be a relic of an older period. Edey, who stands at 7'4″ and is listed at 305 lbs., is not the fleetest of foot and could be exposed by modern NBA offenses. Even then, the Memphis Grizzlies believed in his potential, drafting him with the ninth overall pick of last year's draft.
Not much has changed regarding many fans and analysts' evaluation of Edey. But for someone who's new to the NBA, Edey sure does catch a lot of flak on a regular basis, which persisted during the Grizzlies' first-round series sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Nonetheless, the Grizzlies organization remains confident in what Edey brings to the table, with Zach Kleiman calling the discourse surrounding the 22-year-old rookie “wild” because of how much the 7'4″ guy stands out.
“The discourse around Zach Edey is so wild because the mistakes are so loud,” Kleiman said, per Drew Hill of The Daily Memphian.
Edey's game is clearly limited, and this is especially the case for rookie big men who are still getting accustomed to the breakneck speed of the NBA game. Even then, the Grizzlies rookie held his own on plenty of occasions, and he went out with a high during their Game 4 loss to the Thunder by blocking seven shots.
Big men tend to need time to acclimate to the NBA, and perhaps Edey can blossom into a wrecking ball of a two-way force once he matures even further. The Grizzlies will definitely need him to improve as they try to right the ship and get the franchise back on track.
Zach Edey — long-term keeper for the Grizzlies or long-term bench option?
In today's NBA, big men have to be able to guard in space. Zach Edey's physical limitations, however, mean that he's restricted to playing some strict drop coverage, which can be death against teams with guards who can pull up from beyond the arc.
The more traditional big men can make up for it with positional awareness and the ability to dominate the interior game — both on the glass and on the scoreboard. Edey is only 22, so the Grizzlies can afford him some time to develop into the long-term keeper they think he can be someday.
