Grizzlies go big in NBA draft for Zach Edey

Zach Edey is taking his 7-foot-4 frame to Memphis to start his NBA career.

Edey, the former Purdue center who became the first player in more than 40 years to win The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball player of the year award in back-to-back seasons, was taken by the Grizzlies with the ninth pick Wednesday night in the NBA draft.

“Zach Edey is a particularly special fit (for the franchise),” Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said after the draft’s first round. “In getting to know him, we are talking about someone whose competitiveness is through the roof, care factor is through the roof. No ego, just wants to win.”

And so begins the process of seeing how his game translates to the next level. Edey will be one of the tallest players in the NBA this coming season; in 2023-24, only San Antonio’s rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama, Houston’s Boban Marjanovic and Phoenix’s Bol Bol were listed at 7-foot-3 or taller.

Edey averaged 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds as a junior, then 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds during a senior season in which he led Purdue to the NCAA title game against Connecticut. The steady growth in his game was part of Memphis’ attraction to his potential.

The Grizzlies finished 27-55 last season in a campaign marred by injuries to key players such as Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, along with reserves Marcus Smart and Brandon Clarke. The Grizzlies dressed 33 different players during the season, and the results were a far cry from the previous two seasons when Memphis made the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.



(AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)