With only one game separating the Memphis Grizzlies from the second seed in the Western Conference and the injury status report progressively getting thinner, there’s much to be excited for as the All-Star break draws closer. The Grizzlies have won seven of their last 10. Grizzlies’ big man Zach Edey, over the past couple of weeks, has seen his minutes fluctuate slightly compared to the earlier stages of the season.
Notably, Edey has received below his season average of 20 minutes in seven out of the last 13 games. This has been a result of Taylor Jenkins prioritizing the coherency amongst his main rotation groups. The uncertainty of Edey’s minutes doesn’t reflect his impact or ability. Instead, more so a concise focus on what will be asked of him going forward.
Zach Edey’s Sporadic Minutes is Part of Rookie Wall
This season Edey is averaging 9.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks on 58 FG% shooting. The former Purdue All-American had gone on a 10-game streak without recording a double-digit point total until a 13-point performance versus the New Orleans Pelicans back on January 24th. Edey then followed that up with a 19-point effort versus the Utah Jazz in 28 minutes. Furthermore, Edey has reached double digits in two of the past three Grizzlies’ games. Prior, he had gone 11 games without recording 10 or more rebounds, now, he has grabbed 10-plus boards in two of the past three games. Undeterred by the recent adjustment, the Zach Edey minutes remain propitious. Edey is a part of two of the top four Grizzlies’ most productive lineups over the last 10 games. In that same span, Edey has the second-best defensive rating amongst all Grizzlies.
Grizzlies’ Optimizing Edey
Most viewers anticipated Edey’s minutes on the offensive end to be a luxury for both him and Ja Morant. At such an ideal size for a screener, a two-man game between the two Grizzlies was expected to be a go-to drawing card for an iso-heavy selfless offense. Edey very rarely will get his number called on offense. Edey has also hit 14 of his 36 three-point attempts this season. The Grizzlies have been one of the NBA’s most potent offenses this year. Finding Edey’s scoring role in the offense is most likely not one of Taylor Jenkins’ objectives, given the plethora of scoring options at his disposal. Nonetheless, Edey’s impact has still been evident on both sides of the floor. Next to fellow rookie teammate Jaylen Wells, Edey will be joining him at the 2025 NBA Rising Stars game.
Earning his 1st #CastrolRisingStars selection… Zach Edey of the @memgrizz!@zach_edey was drafted as the 9th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of Purdue. pic.twitter.com/jGgTs60bRK
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) January 28, 2025
Edey’s Old-Fashioned Role
At 7-foot-4, 305 pounds, it’s far too difficult of a challenge to ask Edey to adapt exponentially to the NBA modern big this early into his career. Theoretically, given Edey’s rare combination of mass and length, there will be limitations depending on his opposing matchups. For example, in a recent 143-106 loss against the New York Knicks, Edey logged nine points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in 19 minutes. It was not a bad performance from the Grizzlies’ starting big man but during certain stretches, Edey was simply unplayable.
Edey struggled mainly when he was inevitably drawn to the perimeter by Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, thanks to Towns’ three-point mastery. Edey doesn’t have the foot speed to keep up with Towns off the dribble. Additionally, Knicks’ floor general Jalen Brunson is an elite pick-and-roll maestro who time and time again put Edey in punishing drop-coverage scenarios. Edey’s role on this roster is to complement teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. on the glass as an intimidating rim protector.
Grizzlies’ head coach Taylor Jenkins can still enhance Edey’s minutes in pro-bigger lineups due to his demoralizing paint presence. Among all rookies that have defended at least 200 field goal attempts (24 qualifying players), Edey ranks seventh in DFG% he’s holding his opponents to just 46.4% shooting. Ultimately, regardless of his minutes, Edey has been highly impactful on both ends of the floor.
Photo credit: © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
