The Memphis Grizzlies had a miserable 2023-24 NBA season as they were hit with several injuries to their main players.
Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane all missed large amounts of time, forcing head coach Taylor Jenkins to roll out lineups full of young players and inexperienced players.
However, the Grizzlies are set to bounce back during the 2024-25 NBA season as their core group of players is healthy outside of Jackson who is dealing with a hamstring injury.
One of the lone bright sides to the team’s poor record last season is they were able to gain a high lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft which they used on Purdue big man Zach Edey.
Edey was one of the most dominant players in college basketball last season and now comes to Memphis where he should be a bench player off the bat.
However, analysts like Amin Elhassan aren’t believers in Edey and think he won’t be successful at the NBA level via Oddball.
“Zach Edey is not going to work,” Elhassan said. “I don’t think his build, his athleticism, and his game fit with the NBA game right now… Memphis seems to think otherwise.”
“Zach Edey is not going to work. I don’t think his build, his athleticism, and his game fit with the NBA game right now… Memphis seems to think otherwise.”
Do you agree with Amin Elhassan? 🤔
(via @oddballhoops)pic.twitter.com/BfeiPbeXV2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 5, 2024
At 7’3″, Edey is a massive player who does most of his damage near the rim but the current NBA is obsessed with big men who can space the floor and catch lobs.
While Edey may not do either of those things well, it seems a little premature to call him a bust because of all the other things he can do on the court.
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