On Wednesday, the 2024 NBA Draft got kicked off for night one, which featured just 30 players being drafted. The NBA opted to take a different approach this season when it comes to their broadcasting of the draft, as the first round was held Wednesday and will pick up on Thursday with the second.
Unfortunately, this doesn't have any effect on the Memphis Grizzlies making a poor decision right out of the gates on night one.
So far, it seems like the fan base is pretty split on whether the pick of Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4 center from Purdue, was the right move to have made.
You can certainly make the case for both sides, but when you truly break it down, it's pretty clear the Grizzlies should have gone in a different direction.
Grizzlies made a mistake by taking Zach Edey in 2024 NBA Draft
Edey is a great talent, and won the National Player of the Year award in college twice for a reason -- He was that good at the collegiate level.
In theory, he can be that good for a different team at the next level as well. In his fit on the Grizzlies, however, it just isn't there. This is a pick where they may have whiffed.
Let's start with the obvious: Ja Morant, one of the best players in the NBA, loves to drive to the rim. In fact, there is only one other player who may do that more at the point guard position, and that's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Morant can get to the rim almost whenever he wants, and he proved that even during the small amount of time he played in 2023. He hit a game-winner at the rim against the New Orleans Pelicans in his first game back.
When you have a menacing big like Edey standing in the paint, who is not a great shooter at almost any level outside of the restricted area, it will make it very difficult for Morant to do what he not only loves to do most but what he's best at.
Sure, the lob game is going to be amazing between the two, and, yes, Jaren Jackson Jr. can stretch the floor and get back to playing his true position at the four again, but the paint will be clogged with Edey in tow, and, most importantly, this doesn't allow the Grizzlies to play as fast as they want to.
Edey is not quick, and he will never be. Morant is one of the fastest guys in the league and will want to push the ball with a rim runner, as he even did a few times with Steven Adams, who they recently traded to the Houston Rockets.
Let's also not forget who was available for the Grizzlies at pick No. 9 as well.
Cody Williams, a long wing from Colorado, was selected just after the Grizzlies pick. He's the brother of budding star wing on the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jalen Williams, and plays a game that the Grizzlies could use with playmaking, shot creation, and shot-making from the perimeter.
They even could have gone with Kel'el Ware from Indiana, who was chosen a few picks later. The 6-foot-11 center runs the floor well, is super athletic, and has developed a better jumper every single year he's played. Not to mention, he is a great help-side defender.
It's pretty clear that when you weigh the pros and cons, this was a bad pick. Hopefully, Edey and the Grizzlies prove everyone wrong, though.