After months of internal deliberation and fan speculation, the Memphis Grizzlies finally made their intentions known about their offseason strategy during the 2024 NBA Draft, as the franchise ended up bolstering their frontcourt rotation by snatching up Zach Edey with their No. 9 overall pick.
Though the decision to add on a young center was far from shocking, as the club has been without any semblance of a legitimate pivot option since the mid-season departure of Steven Adams, it was the ultimate choice of scooping up the Purdue product that may have been a bit staggering to some.
Equipped with what many have described as limited versatility and capped athleticism, Edey projects to be more of an old-school, back-to-the-basket brand of baller rather than a prototypical, modern-day big at the next level.
While the Grizzlies have certainly found ample success in the past when utilizing such a type of talent as their primary five (ex. Steven Adams), to use such a high-end selection on such a lacking upside prospect has certainly rubbed people the wrong way, with some such as Yahoo Sports' Kryten Peek going as far as to call his selection "one of the worst picks I've seen in Draft history."
The Memphis Grizzlies made some grave mistakes during 2024 NBA Draft
Though much is yet to be realized about the club's draft-day decisions, and, factually speaking, over time Zach Kleiman and company could wind up proving the masses wrong, it is widely believed that the Grizzlies made some severe mistakes during this year's festivities that, with both rounds now complete, fans should be aware of.