Grizzlies’ Zach Edey promises surprises for critics who ‘didn’t watch Purdue’
The Memphis Grizzlies gamble on Zach Edey will get the boom-or-bust treatment all season. Either Edey will be on a Rookie of the Year pathway like Ja Morant predicts or will be declared a bust by the national media’s more reactive talking heads. That is unfortunate from a knowledgeable, entertaining yet informative basketball conversation perspective and also a bit disingenuous according to the Purdue alum.
Grizzlies training camp is just the first opportunity for the well-covered basketball curiosity to prove those doubters wrong. Edey’s Media Day session was a good start with those who will be following along in the FedEx Forum all season.
“Most of my journey has been pretty well reported,” Edey told ClutchPoints. “I think that a lot of people got caught up in me being 7-foot-4, 300 pounds and just took that at face value. A lot of people didn’t really watch me play at Purdue. They didn’t watch me move around and do certain things at Purdue. It is what it is but yeah, there are a lot of things I can do that people don’t know about.”
Hearing out of #Grizzlies camp that Zach Edey is indeed doing more than posting up and camping out around the restricted area.
This was his answer when I asked about what the media missed in their scouting reports: pic.twitter.com/SctNaCuR12
— Dodson, Chris Dodson (@DoingItDodson) October 3, 2024
Edey knows what skills got him here and what the Grizzlies expect to lean on throughout the season. Patrolling the paint and slamming home offensive rebounds are just part of the job. In fact, those two tasks are not even at the top of the priority list. Edey broke down his role during Media Day when asked to tell fans what to expect.
“You have a role with every team you play on. It’s to try and help (the team) win,” Edey stated. “That’s all I want to do when I step on the court. If I have to rebound, if I have to set screens, if I have to score, like, whatever. I think my role is just to help with winning.”
Grizzies getting Zach Edey adjusted for Western Wars
© Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Edey will not have it easy to start the season. John Collins and Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz) await in the regular season opener. Then it’s off to face the Houston Rockets and the Steven Adams-Alperen Sengun duo. Wendell Carter Jr. and Paolo Banchero will give Edey fits in the Grizzlies home opener. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Anthony Davis are also on the first ten games docket.
That’s just the undercard to start the rookie campaign. The Western Conference wars against Victor Wembanyama, Zion Williamson, Nikola Jokic, Chet Holmgren, and Rudy Gobert will come during the holiday season. Edey knows there will be an adjustment period, as explained during Media Day’s open question session.
“It’s an adjustment, like everything, going up a level. You’ve got to learn new things, new skills. You’ve got to approach the (NBA) game like it’s a new thing,” Edey explained. “It’s just like going from high school to college. I’m just trying to listen to everybody and soak everything in. Everyone on the team has been here longer and been through more at this level.”
Fortunately for the Grizzlies, it looks like Edey is adjusting well to the most valuable shot in the NBA.
One of my golden rules is "Never get too excited about what a player does in a non-competitive game setting".
I'm simply posting this video of Zach Edey absolutely raining corner 3s on the first day of Grizzlies' training camp as proof it's something he's working on. pic.twitter.com/DUS6V3a6aX
— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) October 1, 2024
The post Grizzlies’ Zach Edey promises surprises for critics who ‘didn’t watch Purdue’ appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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