Predicting the role for each Grizzlies rookie selected in 2024 NBA Draft

Zach Edey

In just north of 34 combined minutes played throughout both the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas stretches of the 2024 Summer League, Zach Edey has seemingly already put doubters of his game to rest.

Following his debut showing with the Grizzlies, one where he dropped an impressive stat line of 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks on 58.3 percent shooting from the floor, the big man's stock skyrocketed to exponential levels, as he was quickly anointed the odds-on favorite to win this season's Rookie of the Year award.

Though a small sample size, the 22-year-old was already coming into the association as one of the most accomplished prospects in his respective draft class, as he had been the recipient of the last two AP Player of the Year awards, posted averages of 23.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks on 61.6 percent shooting from the floor since 2022, and just recently guided the Purdue Boilermakers to their first NCAA Championship round berth since 1969.

His short-lived stint during these offseason exhibitions should have simply served as a test to see how he could fair against other NBA-bound players and already established pros and, by all accounts, he proved capable of thriving.

Role: Starting center

Over the years, this Grizzlies core of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane has proven capable of excelling when accompanied by a physically dominant pivot who can set hard screens, gobble up rebounds, and protect the paint when on the less glamorous side of the ball.

There's a strong chance that Edey might not be able to reach the same heights in the NBA as he did at the collegiate level, but, with his 7-foot-4, 300-pound frame, it seems more than likely he'll be able to provide desirable efforts on all three of these aforementioned fronts.

Paired alongside Jackson down low, Memphis will be rolling out a truly menacing one-two punch on the defensive end, while his sheer size and strength alone should draw double-teams quite often when found inside the paint on offense, thus likely leaving a player open out on the wing (hopefully Luke Kennard re-signs, which would make this agenda even more lethal) where they could have a cleaner look for a quick trey.

Assuming he can stay healthy (something he struggled to do throughout Summer League), the expectation is that Zach Edey will be serving as Memphis' primary center within the starting rotation come day one of the regular season.