At his first career Media Day, Memphis Grizzlies rookie center Zach Edey revealed two very important facts.
Grizzlies Rookie Zach Edey Has Big Goals, New Body Entering 2024-25
The first is that he’s lost a few pounds. Now weighing 290, he feels like he “can move better than ever,” per Damichael Cole of Commercial Appeal.
Zach Edey said he’d be lying if he said Rookie of the Year wasn’t something he wants, but he added that he doesn’t play the game for individual accolades.”
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) September 30, 2024
The second is that he wants to win National Player of the Year. As one of the only rookies who looks like they’ll start in the season opener, he already has a leg up on the competition.
An Unexpected Arrival
The Grizzlies were expected to select former UConn center Donovan Clingan during the 2024 NBA Draft.
Ja Morant, the face of the franchise, had begun following the popular prospect on social media. The pre-draft rumors pointed to Memphis, who traded the burly Steven Adams to the Houston Rockets, as Clingan’s most likely destination. Of course, the Grizzlies had the ninth overall pick; another team could’ve swooped in and took him off the board first. But barring that scenario, the big man was a lock to be part of Memphis’ core.
What Are The Chances?
Clingan was selected seventh overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. With the Blazers already having the expensive Deandre Ayton and promising Robert Williams III, it frankly made little sense. Clingan could certainly man the middle in Portland. Nonetheless, it was a wasted pick for a franchise whose biggest need was and still is a forward.
The Grizzlies wound up drafting Edey.
Edey, a throwback to the days when offenses were run through centers, had recently dominated against Clingan during the NCAA Tournament. Clingan’s Huskies got the last laugh when they won their second straight NCAA Championship. However, Edey was still beastly in their head-to-head matchup, posting 37 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. For reference, Clingan had tallied 11 points, five rebounds, and one block.
The results of their final battle shouldn’t have been so surprising. Edey was a one of one. Though Clingan had managed to excel in UConn’s system, Edey was Purdue’s system. As a result, he left college as two-time AP Player of the Year, two-time USBWA Player of the Year, two-time Sporting News Player of the Year, two-time NABC Division I Player of the Year, two-time NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year, two-time Naismith Award winner, two-time Wooden Award winner, and two-time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award winner among other honors.
He’s the first player to win more than one AP Player of the Year, USBWA Player of the Year, Naismith Award, and Wooden Award since Ralph Sampson, a revolutionary player who was ahead of his time.
Wrong Question, Right Player
It remains to be seen if Edey can be as good as Sampson was at the NBA level. However, he’s definitely far better than people perceived him to be, perhaps even his teammates. The scouts and analysts that create public perception overlooked his production and accolades for whatever reason. Maybe they believed that traditional centers were ok their way out. Yet, Denver Nuggets international star Nikola Jokic is re-establishing the importance of big men.
That isn’t to say Edey has Jokic’s range or instincts, but he does have soft touch and nascent passing ability. At 7-foot-4, he’s also a sound rim-protector. The only question was whether he would have the endurance —the physical conditioning —to play in more space and at a quickened pace.
By dropping down to 290 after weighing 299 at the combine, he’ll be more capable of that. Constantly working out with one of the fastest players in the NBA in Morant will help him. The Grizzlies should still slow it down from time to time and they sound like they’ll feed the big man. Nonetheless, Edey could surprise plenty of people physically, the biggest rational concern about how his game would translate.
In any case, because Edey is replacing Adams, it’s strange to think that he wouldn’t fit the team. He’s a more capable and willing low-post scorer than Adams, which isn’t a drawback of drafting him. In fact, it could ease pressure on his teammates and give the offense more options. He’s as capable of setting bone-crushing screens. He’s also a pretty solid interior defender, even if Clingan has more upside as a shot-blocker.
Edey was the right pick. People just asked the wrong questions.
