NEW YORK — The Memphis Grizzlies are a prideful bunch.
Injuries shredded the team last season but when healthy, Memphis has a blend of veterans with playoff experience and talented youngsters ready to make an impact.
Armed with the No. 9 pick, a rarity for a team boasting a trio of stars, the Grizzlies were in a prime position to either add an impact player or trade a top-10 selection to a rebuilding franchise and extract a veteran contributor.
In the end, Memphis left with Zach Edey.
It’s too soon to judge what a team did or didn’t do in the draft and I’ve never handed out grades this early, but Zach Edey to the Grizzlies puzzles me.
I don’t love the fit, especially from a stylistic standpoint. Listening to Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman address the media following the conclusion of Day 1 of the draft, it sounded as if he was already projecting his Memphis team to be in the playoffs next season. The irony of this assumption is it’s exactly in the postseason where your deficiencies are magnified and can get you played off the floor (see: Josh Giddey).
Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. have all spoken at length about the need to play with pace and pushing the ball in transition, leveraging their athleticism for gravity and spacing. Edey is not particularly quick going north and south, nor is he a reliable floor spacer, having taken just two 3s his entire collegiate career.
Edey strikes me as more of a traditional, back-to-basket center in a changing NBA that calls for dynamism and for Memphis to get back to where it was before this season — winning 50-plus games in the Western Conference and as a potential contender — the Grizzles will need to evolve from the Steven Adams archetype and trend a bit more modern.
Don’t get me wrong, Edey’s physicality is going to translate immediately to the NBA and the aggressiveness he plays with will impress head coach Taylor Jenkins. I’m just not sold on him, especially compared to Connecticut’s Donovan Clingan, who ended up going to Portland two spots before. And I’m only talking about one side of the ball right now.
“It’s all the obvious worries that Zach addressed in his press conference,” an Eastern Conference scout told The Athletic. “I just don’t think his offensive ability translates where it’ll make up for how bad a defender he is.”
I have a hard time believing Memphis held similar draft grades for Clingan and Edey. The numbers may show some similarities, but the tape tells an entirely different story. Clingan is quite comfortable hanging back in drop coverage and can move laterally, containing both drives and erasing anything in his radius within the restricted area. The Grizzlies have been crying out for rim protection, having shoehorned Jackson into a role he wasn’t quite ready for. Despite the former Defensive Player of the Year’s versatility, he’s not physical enough to combat the abundance of bigs in the West (and NBA for that matter) and his overall defensive efficiency took a hit when asked to compensate for Memphis’ injuries.
Kleiman said all the right things when talking about his new rookie center, but reading between the lines, it was clear Memphis is taking on a developmental piece, trusting the same program that yielded positive first years for Vince Williams Jr. and G.G. Jackson II. Kleiman used the word “potential” more than once, which is fine in a vacuum, but this is a Memphis team determined to pick up where it left off, assuming all three of Morant, Bane and Jaren Jackson are healthy.
“Every year, his mobility clearly improved,” Kleiman said. “I think there’s some misconceptions about Zach Edey and his defense. We’re talking about a player here who was told not to foul out of games. There’s a lot to be said about the situation with us with Jaren Jackson Jr. Jaren roaming off of Zach, his weak-side rim protection, Edey as the anchor in drop coverage, that’s a look we’re very comfortable with. He has the potential to be a very positive, impactful defender over time.”
Honestly, it’s less of what Memphis drafted and more of what it left on the table. The aforementioned G.G. Jackson showed signs of youth and a learning curve but at his best, he’s a young, athletic, jumbo forward with three-level scoring ability. Why not take another swing at a similar player like Matas Buzelis? Or what about Cody Williams, who fell to the Utah Jazz one pick later? The Grizzlies need some reinforcements at guard, why not go for Devin Carter, the two-way force who excelled in every private workout he attended? I’ve compared Kel’el Ware to Christian Wood, which isn’t the greatest in 2024, but I would have liked that move if Memphis moved back, collected assets and took him. There are so many questions. Edey is a fine player who will go on to have a long career, but I’m not sure he’s the guy for a Grizzlies team desperate to rebound.
I do like what Memphis did on Day 2, however, drafting a pair of sharpshooters in Jaylen Wells and Cam Spencer. Wells in particular has the size and the spacing ability to make an immediate impact, assuming he follows a similar developmental arc as G.G Jackson. Wells spoke with authority, aware of his positive traits and the work that remains to become a consistent player at the NBA level. Spencer should step in as a tenacious, smart guard fresh off a title-winning Connecticut team and compete for spot minutes.
Here are the top 3PT shooters in the #NBADraft (Min. two 3PT attempts a game)
1. Reed Sheppard
2. Antonio Reeves
3. Rob Dillingham
4. Cam Spencer
5. KJ SimpsonRest of the list ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/gZi8heZ7sW
— CBB Analytics (@CBBAnalytics) June 23, 2024
“I think I’m pretty good at knowing how to maximize my role,” Wells said on Thursday. “I can create a shot, but I also know how to play with the main guys. I’ve been the main guy, but I also know what they want. Just being able to work off the ball, find gaps to shoot. … Development’s very big for me. Coming from Division II to Division I, a lot of development took place there. Knowing I have the work ethic to get better and having those resources.”
For now, the Grizzlies will shift their attention almost immediately to free agency. Luke Kennard’s $14.8 million team option is a looming decision, one that directly impacts how flexible Memphis can be this summer. If his option is picked up, the Grizzlies will be around $6 million over the luxury tax and be right at the first apron. If his option is declined, they’ll have some breathing room, $8.5 million below the tax and $15 million below the apron. Memphis could easily create some wiggle space by moving one of Derrick Rose or Jake LaRavia (making around $4 million each) or the pair of wings (Ziaire Williams, John Konchar roughly$6 million) who have generally underperformed.
There will be some tough calls that Kleiman will have to make this summer if they see the near future as the time to strike. I would have loved to see Nic Claxton alongside Jaren Jackson but since Claxton committed his long-term future to the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets, they’ll have to look elsewhere. Clint Capela or Isaiah Hartenstein make sense, but neither are the floor spacers the Grizzlies need. If this is the line of thinking Memphis has, drafting Edey isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it’s far from ideal.
(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
