Zach Edey is one of the most polarizing players of the 2024 NBA Draft and his early selection drew even more questions from fans.
Edey dominated college basketball, joining a rare company of players to win two national Player of the Year awards. It led to him landing with the Grizzlies at No. 9 overall.
The 7-footer was mostly considered to be a first-round pick, but ninth overall has confused fans as there were more highly-touted prospects on the board. Why did the Grizzlies draft Edey? Did the franchise reach too far for the big?
The Sporting News answers those questions below.
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Did the Grizzlies reach for Zach Edey?
The Grizzlies were looking for a center and reportedly tried to trade up to draft UConn’s Donovan Clingan at No. 6.
Once the Trail Blazers drafted Clingan at No. 7, the Grizzlies moved on to the next best center on their draft board: Edey.
Memphis is lacking at the center position, only having Jaren Jackson Jr. in the rotation, who is better suited as a power forward. Edey fills that gap and provides another big man for a Grizzlies team looking to regain its footing in the Western Conference playoffs.
Ja Morant and Jackson have experience playing with a big center, having spent two seasons alongside Steven Adams. Adams, however, missed the entire 2023-24 season with an injury and was traded in February 2024.
MORE: Zach Edey stands out at NBA Combine
Whether this pick was a reach is another question. Edey was considered to be a first-round pick and was invited to the green room, though he declined the invite.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony told Brian Windhorst earlier this week that Edey could go as high as No. 9 due to Memphis’ desperate need for a center.
Great comments here from Givony on Zach Edey. I agree with all of it. Hard to believe he’s only been playing basketball for 6 years. He’s still going to improve. He may go as high as 9 to Memphis. #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/MprQgIDClK
— See Red Fred (@cbefred) June 24, 2024
TSN’s draft expert Kyle Irving had Edey falling to the Pelicans at No. 21 and compared the 7-footer to Jonas Valanciunas
Grizzlies depth chart 2024-25
| Pos. | Starter | Bench |
| PG | Ja Morant | Derrick Rose |
| SG | Marcus Smart | Luke Kennard |
| SF | Desmond Bane | GG Jackson |
| PF | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Vince Williams |
| C | Zach Edey | Brandon Clarke |
The Grizzlies now add Edey to a frontcourt including Jackson, Brandon Clarke, Vince Williams and Santi Aldama.
Zach Edey stats 2023-24
- 25.2 points per game
- 12.2 rebounds per game
- 2.0 assists per game
- 0.3 steals per game
- 2.2 blocks per game
- 2.3 turnovers per game
- 62.3 percent field goal shooting
- 50 percent 3-point shooting (1 of 2)
- 71.1 percent free throw shooting
- 32.0 minutes per game
- 39 games played
