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Whether it was with his patent hook shot in the lane or a spin move in the low block, Zach Edey was a scoring machine at Purdue. The two-time Wooden Award winner was arguably the most dominant player in college basketball over the last couple of years, yet Edey received a lot of scrutiny from NBA fans as he prepared for his professional journey. The constant questions surrounding his motor and overall impact on the game loomed large, yet the Memphis Grizzlies saw potential and a player with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft who could immediately make an impact in the wake of Steven Adams' departure.
While the 2024-25 NBA season is still a week away, Edey has already started to turn some heads. Despite the fact that he doesn't possess a high motor and that he isn't the best athlete at the center position, Edey is poised and understands his strengths on the basketball court. More importantly, the Grizzlies understand how to get him involved in their athletic, fast-paced offense.
With Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and other key athletes on the court, the Grizzlies are known for their pace of play and constantly attacking their opponents' defense. Prior to the 2023-24 season, which was an anomaly for the Grizzlies due to all of the injury concerns they faced, this team ranked fifth in pace of play and ninth in scoring. At full strength, head coach Taylor Jenkins and everyone associated with this organization believe they can get back to being this type of team.
So, where does Edey fit into the equation since he isn't a modern-day center who can make plays for others, stretch the court, and consistently knock down shots from the perimeter like Jaren Jackson Jr.? Well, the thing is that the Grizzlies don't want to reinvent Edey. Instead, the rookie big man is being put in situations to simply play to his strengths of being an old-school center that dominates the paint as an interior scorer and rebounder.
That has been apparent throughout the four preseason games the Grizzlies have played, and Edey has rapidly been getting more and more comfortable with his role. On Monday night against the Indiana Pacers, in front of many Purdue fans supporting him, Edey had himself an eye-opening performance.
Controlling the paint at his own pace
Edey is not going to be like Nikola Jokic, and he isn't going to be like Joel Embiid either. Sure, the Grizzlies would love for the young center to evolve into an All-Star talent, but the bottom line is that this team wants Edey to be himself. In the few preseason games Edey has participated in, he has done just that.
After debuting in the preseason with six points and seven rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks, Edey spliced together back-to-back performances with double-digit points. A matchup against the Pacers on Monday provided the Grizzlies rookie with a real test against Myles Turner, who is widely perceived to be one of the better defensive big men in the league when it comes to protecting the rim. In this fourth preseason game, Edey kept things simple, and he looked like one of the better paint players in the league.
Patience and rhythm are the two words that come to mind after watching Edey's performance on Monday. The 22-year-old did not try to overthink things, and he proved that the mindset of having an old-school center rather than a unicorn type of big man who can shoot threes still works.
No. 9 pick Zach Edey dominated in the Grizzlies' #NBAPreseason win 💪😤
23 PTS (10-15 FGM)
9 REB
19 MIN pic.twitter.com/vq1JmWgavv— NBA (@NBA) October 15, 2024
Against the Pacers, Edey registered 23 points, nine rebounds, and a steal in 18 minutes off the bench. Aside from leading all players in the game in rebounds, Edey tied Desmond Bane as the game's leading scorer on a very efficient 10-of-15 shooting.
Early in the game, Edey made his presence felt by posting up Pacers' Isaiah Jackson and catching the ball inside the paint, where all he had to do was turn for his easy-looking hook shot. The very next possession, with under a minute remaining in the first quarter, the Grizzlies pushed the ball with pace up the court. Edey, who was hanging around the low block, just camped in the lane and waited until Jackson stepped up to defend Yuki Kawamura on the drive. This resulted in an easy dump off to the rookie center, who punched the ball home with authority.
Throughout the game, Edey found himself as the recipient of easy passes inside, resulting in high percentage shots. But what stood out in this matchup was when Edey had his back to the basket and had to use his strength to get to his spot. Although he found success utilizing his size in back-down scenarios in college, this was a concern for Edey heading into the NBA. Many questioned whether or not he had the toughness and skill to truly be a low-post player on offense that the Grizzlies could feel comfortable giving the ball to.
One of the many areas the Grizzlies have been working with Edey on in the preseason has been when his back is to the basket and being able to spin off his defender to score. With under ten seconds in the first quarter, the Grizzlies big man utilized his size and strength against Jackson before putting him in the spin cycle and dunking over him, a patent move of old-school centers like Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Zach Edey spinning AND slamming over two Pacers defenders 🌪️🔨pic.twitter.com/HtIXGhu27K
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 14, 2024
In the second quarter of Monday's preseason game against the Pacers, Edey then found himself in a tougher scenario against Turner. Still, the Grizzlies looked to get Edey the ball early in the shot clock after pushing the pace up the floor in order for him to go to work one-on-one against his stout defender. Even though Turner is known for his defense, it was Edey who backed him down and got to his spot for an easy finish on a hook shot. Again, after catching the ball on the low block, Edey backed down Turner with three power dribbles before creating separation and finishing late in the shot clock.
Edey simply has a feel for the rim when he is in the paint. Of course, any big man who is 7'4″ should feel confident in their ability to score in this area! Whereas other modern-day centers tend to utilize the entire court to expand their game, Edey and the Grizzlies are comfortable with his contributions on the interior because it works. Whether it was with a hook shot or spinning off his defender in the low post, Edey was able to get the job done against defensive-minded bigs who have been in the league for several years.
Just because the Grizzlies play fast doesn't mean they won't find ways to get Edey involved. Monday night against the Pacers was a perfect example of how the rookie is going to be incorporated in the team's plans moving forward.
Grizzlies value Zach Edey's work ethic
It is interesting to look at Edey and his fit with the Grizzlies simply because they have been a team over the last few years that doesn't really utilize the center position. Adams had some key moments in Memphis, as has Brandon Clarke as a secondary big man, but the Grizzlies traditionally play through the perimeter with Morant, Bane, and Jackson. Not to mention, they are a team that looks to punish their opponents off turnovers by pushing the pace.
None of these characteristics of the Grizzlies really link back to Edey and his style of play, yet Jenkins and his coaching staff have found ways to adjust and get Edey involved.
“It's just an adjustment,” Edey told the Indianapolis Star on Monday. “Obviously I think people on this team haven't really played with a post-up center. People don't really realize a post feed is a skill. It's a different type of pass. You have to freeze hands (of defenders), get it active, get it in. It's a tough thing to do. People are getting adjusted, getting their minds into looking for me down low.”
Much like how Edey described it, the Grizzlies are just going to have to get used to the different set of skills he brings to the table. Monday night's game was a perfect example of how Memphis can utilize the young center and find success playing through him in the low post. In fact, this is something that could wind up taking a lot of stress off the backs of Morant and Bane to do everything on offense.
By having that traditional, old-school style at the center position, the Grizzlies become a much harder team to guard since they are so dynamic and athletic at every other position. While it will take time, Jenkins and the Grizzlies know that Edey can be an X-factor for them during the 2024-25 season.
“He's a great learner. That's one of the things that's jumped out to me,” Jenkins said of Edey before Monday's game against the Pacers. “We've challenged him to kind of expand his game, play a lot faster, play at a different tempo, be a little bit more versatile. He's a guy that needs to dominate inside the paint whether that's on post-ups, duck-ins or pick-and-roll, screening game, playing behind the defense in the dunker (spot). Building that chemistry with our guys in the drive attack. He's a big-time threat at the rim for us and also a guy that can be comfortable playing on the perimeter a little bit more depending on what the situation dictates.”
As the Grizzlies get Edey more reps and get him acclimated to their system, he is only going to become a better version of himself. When he is around the rim, Edey can be a tough player to stop. That is why it is not hard to believe that the Grizzlies could have yet another Rookie of the Year contender, especially if they start the ninth overall pick in their first game to begin the 2024-25 season.
