[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2024-25 NBA season preview magazine. Order your copy today .] In 2024-25, the Memphis Grizzlies will be asked to prove themselves all over again.
A flurry of injuries derailed Memphis last season and ended a three-year postseason run for superstar point guard Ja Morant and Co. It also added a layer of mystery around the Grizzlies as they aim to reclaim their spot among the Western Conference contenders. Is Memphis still a formidable threat, or have the other surging young teams passed them during their period of turmoil? The answer to that question may hang on the shoulders of a rookie.
Benny Sieu-Imagn Images FRONTCOURT The Grizzlies bet big on a young big man during the offseason, spending the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA Draft on 7-foot-4 center and two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey of Purdue. Edey immediately becomes the tallest player in franchise history and a soon-to-be opening-night starter.
He was exactly the style of center the franchise was searching for — a gigantic player cut from the archetype of Steven Adams, whom Memphis dealt to Houston at the trade deadline last season. Adams maximized the production of the stars around him by setting screens to create space for Morant offensively and gobbling up space defensively to allow shot-blocker Jaren Jackson Jr. to roam the paint.
It will now be Edey’s turn to mimic that role while also adding an element of around-the-rim offensive ski.