Grizzlies GM Explains Advantages Zach Edey Brings to Memphis

What does Zach Edey bring to the Memphis Grizzlies? General manager Zach Kleiman explained how the former Purdue center and two-time National Player of the Year creates mismatches for other NBA teams.

Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman was overwhelmed with the opportunity to select Purdue's Zach Edey in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night. With the 7-foot-4 center and two-time National Player of the Year still on the board at No. 9, Kleiman said the organization was "thrilled."

Edey was selected by the Grizzlies with the ninth overall pick on Wednesday night. After Memphis made the pick, Kleiman spoke with reporters about the decision to take the big man from Purdue.

"Zach Edey is a particularly special fit [for the franchise]," Kleiman said. "In getting to know him, we are talking about someone whose competitiveness is through the roof, care factor is through the roof. No ego, just wants to win."

Edey is coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which he averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game. He led the Boilermakers to a 34-5 record, a Big Ten regular season championship and a trip to the Final Four.

Kleiman said that one of the biggest appeals of drafting Edey is his ability to create mismatches on both sides of the court. He believes it adds a new wrinkle to the roster, something teams are going to have to gameplan for more effectively.

"What really appealed to us about Zach — you spend a lot of time thinking about how do we match up against this team? How do we match up against that team? Zach is incredibly unique in that, you gotta deal with him," Kleiman said. "We now have from a size standpoint, from a physicality standpoint, that's something other teams are gonna have to grapple with.

"We wanna have looks that we can throw out there that give us the advantage. Let them figure out how to deal with us. And we have different looks we can throw out over the course of a game, over the course of a series. That optionality is something the really intrigued us and could make an actual difference."

Memphis finished last season with a 27-55 record. The Grizzlies still have two picks remaining in the NBA Draft, No. 39 and No. 57.

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