NBA Draft Analyst Explains Why Zach Edey a Good Fit with Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies

ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony explained why Purdue center Zach Edey is an excellent fit with the Memphis Grizzlies and why his game works well alongside Ja Morant.

Purdue center Zach Edey against Michigan State / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

An NBA Draft analyst is raving about the Memphis Grizzlies selecting Purdue's Zach Edey with the No. 9 overall pick on Wednesday night. ESPN's Jonathan Givony believes Edey fits in perfectly with two-time All-Star Ja Morant.

Some were surprised that Edey, the two-time National Player of the Year, was selected so high in Wednesday night's draft. But Givony says it's an excellent pick for the Grizzlies, who are in need of a big man.

"I love it. I'm a huge Zach Edey fan as everybody knows. We moved him into the lottery in January when people had him as an undrafted player, as a late second-round pick. It was not shocking to me to see him go ninth," Givony said on The Lowe Post podcast.

"Memphis needs a big. Zach Edey was the best big man available. Ja Morant is going to love playing pick-and-roll with this guy. He's the best screener in the draft. He's gonna be a much better pick-and-roll player. He can post-up, too."

Was Zach Edey at No. 9 to Memphis a surprise? Why he's a dream target for an electric playmaking guard like Ja Morant to pair with in pick-and-roll. Went on the Lowe Post to discuss. pic.twitter.com/ztCT9g0CFc

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 27, 2024

Edey was known as a dominant post player throughout his career at Purdue. This past season, he averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per contest. But it's not necessarily the stuff on the stat sheet that Givony loves about the center's game.

Givony says that Edey's ability to screen provides a lot of value for Memphis.

"To me, the best attribute is the way that he screens. Ja Morant is going to be open every time he gets downhill. Zach Edey's gonna roll to the rim, you better tag Zach Edey when he's rolling to the rim," Givony said. "So, there's going to be wide open threes on both sides, both corners. And Ja Morant is going to love just throwing the ball up and Zach Edey has a 7-foot-11 wingspan, he catches everything, he's going to dunk everything. This is going to be awesome for Memphis."

Memphis finished the 2023-24 NBA season with a 27-55 record. After picking Edey ninth overall on Wednesday night, Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman explained why the team was excited to see the Purdue big man still available.

"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."

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FORMER BOILERS CONGRATULATE EDEY: Several former Boilermakers congratulated Zach Edey's NBA Draft selection through social media on Wednesday night. He was picked No. 9 by the Memphis Grizzlies. CLICK HERE

JA MORANT'S HILARIOUS REACTION TO EDEY PICK: Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant had an incredibly funny reaction to the team selecting Purdue's Zach Edey during the NBA Draft.CLICK HERE