Memphis Grizzlies’ Zach Edey, center, dunks the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Memphis Grizzlies 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey appears to be gaining his footing several weeks into his NBA career.
The team’s first-round pick in the 2024 draft looked worthy of his ninth overall selection in Monday’s 106-104 loss at the Brooklyn Nets. Edey, a two-time national player of the year at Purdue, produced a season-high 25 points and 12 rebounds in 29 minutes, looking comfortable in the process and strong in the paint.
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When the Grizzlies host the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night, Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins will be interested in how his big man handles a matchup against Anthony Davis, one of the league’s best in the low post.
READ: NBA: Cade Cunningham’s triple-double helps Pistons beat Lakers
Davis is averaging 32.6 points and 11.6 rebounds and shooting 57.1 percent from the floor.
What Jenkins saw from Edey against Brooklyn was encouraging to a team looking for a dominating presence in the paint following last season’s departure of Steven Adams.
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“I thought playing in traffic was one of the biggest areas of (Edey’s) growth,” Jenkins said. “I thought he did a great job (against the Nets). They were swarming him and slapping down on his arms. He was finishing through contact. I was surprised he only got four free throws because he had two or three guys hanging on him the entire night.
“Guys were threading needles, and he was catching passes. I thought he did a phenomenal job spacing and eating up the area around the rim.”
Jenkins also complimented Edey’s defensive effort, which included four blocked shots.
“He got beat a couple of times … I think he is still figuring out the speed of the game, as I have talked about before,” Jenkins said. “But, overall, very impressed with his defensive activity.”
Davis has been battling a foot injury that has him day-to-day, so his status for Wednesday’s game is unclear. Los Angeles coach J.J. Redick has made Davis the focal point of the Lakers’ offense, attempting to get him touches each possession.
READ: NBA: Grizzlies’ Zach Edey withdraws from Canada’s Olympic team
As for James, who turns 40 in December, he continues to contribute at a high level. He had 20 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds on Monday at the Detroit Pistons.
The Lakers, however, are struggling. They have dropped three of their past four following an impressive start that included wins over three playoff teams: Minnesota, Phoenix and Sacramento. Monday, the Lakers lost 115-103 at Detroit and allowed 67 first-half points.
“We’re just two different teams right now,” Davis said. “One game, we’re this team who showcased it can be one of the better teams in the league. Then the next, we’re this team who — I don’t even know who we are.
“So, we just got to be better. We got to put a full 48 (minutes) together, and we can’t continue to do this if we expect to do anything this season.”
To address the recent defensive deficiencies, Redick may try something different. Cam Reddish played his first rotation minutes of the season against the Pistons and may remain there because of his defensive skills and athleticism.
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“He did exactly what was asked of him,” James said. “He came in and defended at a high level. He was great.”
