The first words surrounding Memphis Grizzlies lottery pick Zach Edey from franchise superstar Ja Morant were highly optimistic. Edey made his NBA pre-season debut on October 7th against the Dallas Mavericks. Edey recorded six points and grabbed seven rebounds in 18 minutes of play during the Grizzlies’ 121-116 victory at the American Airlines Center. Here’s what Morant had to say about Edey.
“Definitely Rookie of the Year. I think easy too. Definitely you know, I wouldn’t say a surprise for me obviously seeing with how he [Zach Edey] dominated college. Coming into the workout you know he came in, he was ready to work, and you know obviously my summer workouts be you know pretty much I call it boot camp, so for him to you know come in and want to work out with me, and you know get through the workout you know throughout the whole week, it was big time for him. Obviously made me excited to have him on the team and his skillset man, is even much better. Obviously, he’s 7’4 but you know, his touch, he was shooting the ball very well. Rookie of the Year is all I can say”.
How Zach Edey’s Inimitable Size Impacts Both Morant and Jackson Jr.
Memphis Glass Skyscrapers
In a recent appearance on the Chris Vernon Show, Grizzlies star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. was asked about his early thoughts of his new frontcourt teammate.
“Great feel. You know when a big man gets a rebound and like they’re just kind of confused? Very quick twitch. Like decision making. No real fear or anything like, very vocal, able to talk through the game. But I mean like, dude [Zach Edey] won player of the year twice.”
Last season, the Memphis Grizzlies ranked 24th in rebounds per game and 25th in rebounding percentage. There’s a glaring discrepancy between the Grizzlies’ rebounding production on the offensive end as opposed to the production on the defensive end. The Grizzlies were the tenth-best offensive-rebounding team in the association last season, grabbing 10.9 offensive boards a night. Last season, the Grizzlies ranked 27th in defensive rebounding, snagging 31.7 defensive rebounds a game. Jaren Jackson Jr’s career high for rebounds per game in a season is 6.8. Last season, he grabbed 5.5 boards a game.
The real reason behind Jaren Jackson Jr’s underwhelming rebounding quantitative analysis, considering his profound size, is because he’s played his entire career next to Jonas Valanciunas and Steven Adams. Valanciunas and Adams each averaged double-digit rebounds per game during their tenures next to JJJ. Zach Edey stands at 7’4, 299 pounds, and will provide elite rebounding. This skill set makes Edey an ideal fit next to Jackson.
Edey is going to benefit the backline of Memphis’ defensive rotations, whether Jackson Jr. is present or not. Edey’s frightening stature and presence alone are going to be adequate enough to clean up defensive lapses. His range is going to make certain dynamic NBA guards and wings second-guess their interior shot selections. Both Marcus Smart and Vince Williams Jr are high-quality point-of-attack defenders who should prevent a lot of lapses for Edey to clean up.
Great Wall of Edey
Zach Edey’s size has already been paying dividends before the regular season tip-off. Recently, the Memphis Grizzlies fell 119-94 at home versus the Charlotte Hornets. Edey contributed 10 points (2-8 FG), five rebounds, and a block in 22 minutes. Despite a tough night shooting from the field, Edey was still able to hit six of his eight free-throw attempts. Edey’s growth becomes even more enlivening, knowing he’ll be able to stay on the court during late-game clutch situations prevailing the popular hack-a-big-man tactic opposing coaches go to. Edey will help the Grizzlies reclaim their grit and grind mantra in the frontcourt rotation alongside Grizzlies regulars Jaren Jackson Jr and Brandon Clarke. One component of the Memphis Grizzlies half-court offense missed last year was the formidable screening of former Grizzlies center Steven Adams. Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman filled that intricate component with his draft choice of Zach Edey.
Screen Sharing Is Caring
Ja Morant is undoubtedly going to benefit the most from Edey’s additional space created in the half-court. Every possession Morant curls around a screen with the ball in his hand and a narrow gap of space in his sight, every viewer is prepared to leave their seat. Unaware of what captivating move the lightning-quick guard is going to unleash on his way to the rim. In Morant’s most recent full regular season campaign (61 GP in 2022-23), he initiated 778 pick and rolls (2nd in the NBA) as the main ball handler. In fact, Morant has ranked in the top six league leaders in pick and rolls initiated every season he’s qualified since his rookie year.
Game planning and executing a scouting report for Ja Morant is no simple mission. It’s actually damn near impossible to mitigate his dynamic and elusive prowess. If there’s any single facet of Morant’s game that is still progressing, it’s his outside shot. A career 31% three-point shooter in the regular season, Morant is a career 35% three-point shooter in the postseason. Teams’ dependency on the three-point line has increased at such a rapid rate thanks to the great Stephen Curry.
Edey’s Role In Ja’s Next Conquest
Ja Morant is virtually a human video game console. He is very well capable of exploiting his nuclear athleticism at any given moment. Defenses, especially in the playoffs, will make their best effort to rotate and build walls outside the paint to lessen dynamic athletic perimeter threats. In the past, we’ve seen opponents force other superstar uber-athletic players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Edwards to beat them with the outside shot, and that, indeed, is the next challenge for Morant. This is where Zach Edey’s size comes into factor.
In 2020-21, Ja Morant shot 27.9 FG% on pull-up jump shots and 25.0 3P% on three-point pull-up jump shots. Those metrics have fluctuated as his volume has increased each season. The two-time All-Star shot 38.3 FG% overall and 35.9 3P% on such shots in 2021-22. In 2022-23 he shot 30.9 FG% and 27.1 3P%. Morant is more than capable of breaking down various amounts of coverages and blitzes, but Edey’s massive size and frame will help him take his offensive arsenal to the next level.
Just an extra tenth of a second off an Edey screen can be the difference between Morant’s patent push floater shot in traffic and a kick out to the perimeter for a Desmond Bane three. Morant’s gravity will lead to plenty of high-percentage dump-offs and dunks for Edey. Morant has the world at his palms at 25 years old as to what type of player he’ll want to be remembered for. Edey’s size can unlock everything Morant has yet to display on the world stage and vice versa.
