As the 2024-25 season approaches, the Memphis Grizzlies and their new product Purdue will be on display in mid-October.
After a turbulent season, in which they lost several of their frontcourt players throughout the year, they have a statement to make as they try to establish themselves as a Western Conference contender, as they have seemed to be in recent years. Zach Edey will be in the mix to back up Jaren Jackson Jr. at power forward, as the 7-foot-4 was selected by the Grizzlies with the ninth overall pick last June.
He and Memphis will make their season debuts against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 23, marking the start of the season and the start of a promising career for Edey — and while there are skeptics about how high he was selected, he will undoubtedly bring useful traits to an already defensively solid starting lineup.
Against the Jazz in particular, lined up against John Collins in case of trouble, Edey will have his work cut out defensively to guard the athletic, high-flying big, but that should allow him to get into position for rebounds given that Collins is only 6’1″ and 225 pounds. But Collins’ experience and the Jazz’s game plan – more than likely – to keep Edey out of the way at both ends of the floor in his NBA debut should frustrate him if he forces the situation as he sometimes did in college.
However, if his decision-making has reached a higher level over the summer, acclimating himself to an NBA-ready mindset, he should have no problem putting together a decent outing against a team that will be middle of the pack and below in the West this season.
Edey’s first game will be a learning curve, but it should be an exciting one for the former Boilermaker.
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