NBA Legend Gets Honest on Grizzlies Rookie Zach Edey

Will Zach Edey be able to thrive in the NBA?

Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA

Zach Edey may not have been a top-three pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but all eyes have been on him during the offseason. It seems like everyone can see the potential and playing on a competitive Memphis Grizzlies team will bring out the best in him. One NBA legend can see both the highs and the lows with the rookie.

During an episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, 4x NBA All-Star Penny Hardaway revealed his thoughts on Zach Edey. While Hardaway never played for the Memphis Grizzlies, he's a Memphis native and college basketball coach of the Memphis Tigers men's team.

"I think the Grizzlies had to make a decision on a center, because we needed a center," Hardaway said. "And Zach Edey, come on man. He's not some bum. Zach Edey can really play. Now on this level of the NBA, it's going to be fast for guys. They're going to be pulling him out of the paint and bringing him on the perimeter. But if you watched him, he's pretty mobile to be that big. He's not this slow guy that can't move."

Hardaway believes that the Memphis Grizzlies will have to deal with Zach Edey getting pulled out of the perimeter, and it's a skill that Edey is going to have to learn. The team will no longer be able to switch 1-5 with him on the court, but they'll be able to add a new layer to their identity.

"I think for the times that they pull him out to the perimeter, he'll have to go out there and learn how to play," Hardaway said. "But anything coming to that basket, man, he's coming weak side and he's going to protect the rim. For me, rebounding and protecting the rim, being in that drop coverage, it might hurt them sometimes, maybe not, but at the end of the day I think he'll be a bigger force offensively for them. Because you've got to account for them on that roll. You've got to account for him getting to the basket."

While many seem to have forgotten about the Memphis Grizzlies after their injury-riddled 2024 season, they are going to be a team to watch next season. Make no mistake, if this team is healthy, they'll have a legitimate chance at being a top-three seed in the Western Conference.