The Memphis Grizzlies giant hailing from Canada is living up to his college resume. Zach Edey spent four years with the Purdue Boilermakers. He then jumped to the adult table when Memphis drafted him in June. Nine games in, and the tallest player in the league—no, not Victor Wembanyama—is creating a stellar impact with the Grizzlies early on.
Grizzlies Giant Creating Immediate Impact on Memphis
Grizzlies Giant Zach Edey Not Disappointing in Rookie Year
It’s only fitting that Edey, born in Toronto, would be drafted by the NBA team that once upon a time held down the Western half of Canada in Vancouver. His hometown Raptors held down the Eastern half. It’s been over two decades—2001, to be exact—since the Vancouver Grizzlies morphed into the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies haven’t had an All-Star caliber center since Marc Gasol. Edey, a controversial No. 9 draft pick, is showing everyone just how good he is early on in the season.
His first NBA career game ended 15 minutes in after he fouled out quickly against the Utah Jazz—a rare start for any player. However, Edey has picked it up since then, and his offensive game has improved greatly. Monday night in Brooklyn against the Nets, Edey notched his second consecutive double-double, posting 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Not only is Edey creating an immediate impact for his team’s 5-4 start, but his statistics also lead all NBA rookies in several categories: points per game (10.8), overall points (97), overall rebounds (59), and overall offensive rebounds (2.9). Additionally, his dunk rate—if that truly carries any meaning in the NBA—is one dunk for every seven minutes. The league average for dunkers is one for every ten minutes, give or take. The caveat here is that Edey averages less than 20 minutes per game (19.1). This is likely due to the Grizzlies coaching staff assimilating him into the flow and pace of the NBA at ease. Edey’s minutes will increase eventually as his game continues to improve. His San Antonio Spurs counterpart, Wembanyama, averages 30 minutes this season. Imagine what Edey can do for the Grizzlies when playing big minutes. All in due time.
Impressing His Teammates
If you ask Ja Morant, playing with Edey certainly has its benefits. In a 122-99 win over the Milwaukee Bucks last week, Morant and Edey connected on what you could call two of the most effortless alley-oop dunks ever. Watching the big man barely break a sweat is alarming, considering that the Morant-Edey pairing has an entire season ahead to cement an offensive connection together. The pair’s connection started off strong, going back to the offseason. Ja even hailed Edey as the eventual rookie of the year at the time. [2:20 mark]
“…definitely rookie of the year, I think easy too. I wouldn’t say its a surprise for me, obviously seeing how he dominated college…obviously, my summer workouts, I call it boot camp, for him to come in and say he want to work out with me, and then get through the workout, get through the whole week, it was big time for him.”
As Edey continues his NBA rookie season, the sky appears to be the limit for him. If Ja Morant has his back and pushes him to secure rookie of the year, we may be seeing just the beginning of Grizzlies giant Zach Edey’s progression this season. Watch those minutes go up along the way, as well.
