Zach Edey's Meteoric Rise to Rookie of the Year Candidate

The 7-foot-4 big man is currently considered as the early favorite for Rookie of the Year, but it wasn't always this way.

Oct 14, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey (14) boxes out Indiana Pacers forward Enrique Freeman (8) in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Looking back on July 26, 2024 — the first day of the 2024 NBA Draft — Zach Edey has had somewhat of a meteoric rise in terms of his NBA trajectory.

After putting up one of the most statistically dominant seasons in NCAA history in 2022-23, he was considered to be only a late-second round or undrafted free agent (UDFA) target in the 2023 draft due to massive questions about his NBA translation.

So, he chose to return to Purdue for his senior year, where he put up an even more dominant season as he averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.2 blocks on 65.9% true shooting. Still, he was very largely considered a potential second-round swing by the consensus due to lingering questions about his translation, even with improved mobility throughout the 2023-24 season.

That was until the tournament began, where his combination of size, touch, feel, conditioning, and sheer dominance in production grew more on more undeniable by the game on the national stage. With every eye on him for the entirety of March, the 7-foot-4 big man played all 40 minutes in multiple games while dropping in hook shot after hook shot, creating extra possessions via offensive rebounding, and protecting the rim in every minute that he was on the floor while leading Purdue to finals berth.

Even then, doubters in the public realm remained strong, continually pointing out mobility concerns that didn't exist and flaws like playfinishing that he clearly showed would be strengths in a different role and/or situation. That didn't matter to NBA decision-makers though; he showcased immense touch and production relative to size and age in back-to-back years, improved his mobility in a single offseason, and was likely to be an elite playfinisher in a scaled down role in the NBA.

That was enough to convince general managers that he was a lottery-level talent in the 2024 draft. After that, there were rumors of Edey getting looks as early as No. 10 to the Utah Jazz leading up to draft night. That proved not to be smoke on draft night, as the Memphis Grizzlies drafted him at No. 9 to fill their empty starting center spot.

Even after going from a potential UDFA to a lottery pick in the span of a year, Edey's rise doesn't stop. After a dominant summer league debut that included a game-tying tip in, he rose to the top of Rookie of the Year betting charts and has stayed at No. 1 ever since. In 4 games of preseason action thus far, he's averaged 13.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks... in 20.2 minutes per game.

He's led all preseason players in post up volume on tremendous efficiency, he's been a solid decision-maker with the ball in his hands, and he's displayed traditional big man skills with his screen setting, rim running, and paint protection. Every single question people have thrown towards him in terms of his NBA translation, he's answered.

And that sums up the entirety of Edey's basketball career. At every stop of the way — from IMG to Purdue, Purdue to the Draft, Draft to Summer League, and Summer League to the NBA — he's been criticized by a few handful of people for being some 7-foot-4 gimmick of a player. And at every turn, he's proved those people to be fools with simple, undeniable, utter dominance.

But, of course, it's only preseason. So the only thing left to do is to finally perform on an official NBA stage exactly one week from today, when the Grizzlies take on the Utah Jazz in their first game of the regular season. He'll produce then, and he'll produce all throughout the season. The question then becomes: what will people say then?

Whatever it is, Edey will shut that down too. Just as he has every time for the past four years. And for that reason, he is the early favorite to win the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year award.

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