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Zach Edey Turned Heads With Impressive Performance in First Grizzlies Summer League Game

The former Purdue star stood out in his first taste of Summer League action.

Liam McKeone

Zach Edey, a first-round draft pick for the Grizzlies, answers a question during a press conference to introduce the team’s 2024 NBA Draft picks at FedExForum on Friday, June 28, 2024.
Zach Edey, a first-round draft pick for the Grizzlies, answers a question during a press conference to introduce the team’s 2024 NBA Draft picks at FedExForum on Friday, June 28, 2024. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA
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Former college basketball star and Memphis Grizzlies first round pick Zach Edey saw his first NBA action on Monday night. In a manner of speaking.

Edey suited up for the Grizzlies' Salt Lake City Summer League contest against the Utah Jazz. As is the case with Summer League basketball, the overall talent level on the court was not in the same stratosphere as what Edey will experience once the season kicks off in October. But that talent level is still higher than anything the 7-footer has experienced to this point.

All that is to say there are legitimate takeaways from Edey's first dip into the NBA pool— and for the Grizzlies, they were largely positive. The two-time National Player of the Year turned many heads by posting 14 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks in 34 minutes, including a game-tying tip-in after he missed a potential game-tying dunk.

By and large Edey looked pretty comfortable out on the hardwood, which was (and remains) the biggest question about his NBA viability. Would he be able to keep up with the uber-athletes that every team boasts? Could he survive getting up and down the floor at a professional pace rather than the molasses crawl Purdue had his teammates playing at?

Those questions have yet to be answered in full but his first glimpse suggested he'll be fine. And fans were pretty impressed.

Edey's next chance to impress his supporters and fire back at his doubters will come on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET against the Philadelphia 76ers.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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