Grizzlies Player No. 1) Zach Edey
After being selected ninth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, coupled with the club's desperate need for a new franchise center, a ton of pressure is being thrust onto Zach Edey's shoulders.
Following their putrid and injury-plagued 2023-24 season, with guys like Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Marcus Smart all slated to be a full-go come opening night the Grizzlies will once again be looking to thrust themselves back into the championship contender conversation.
Seemingly set at the guard, forward, and, with the hopeful progressions of GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr., out on the wing, the only position in serious need of addressing is down at the pivot, where they've had a vacancy at ever since their mid-season decision to trade both Steven Adams and Xavier Tillman outbound.
With the addition of Edey in this year's draft, the hope is that he can fill this role moving forward.
Zach Edey D to Zach Edey O pic.twitter.com/EK4yz9JCb1
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) April 6, 2024
Edey finds himself heading into the NBA fresh off his fourth and final season at Purdue where he earned his second-straight National College Player of the Year award and posted sensational averages of 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks on 62.3 percent shooting.
Of course, despite his productivity and monstrous size (7-foot-4, 300 pounds), not everyone is sold on his potential at the next level.
For every Jonathan Givony, who describes the big man as a "sleeper for Rookie of the Year," there's a Kryten Peek, who counters with a bold claim labeling him as "one of the worst picks I've seen in Draft history."
Despite all the polarizing takes on his potential at the next level, Edey seems focused on being the best version of himself, and his first crack at proving the doubters wrong will come Monday night at 9 PM (EST).