The Memphis Grizzlies drafted Zach Edey with the No. 9 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday.
The 7-foot-4 center was a towering presence in four years at Purdue. He averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game last season en route to back-to-back National Player of the Year honors. The only other men to win the Naismith Trophy consecutively were Ralph Sampson (1981, 1982, 1983) and Bill Walton (1972, 1973, 1974).
Round 1️⃣, Pick 9️⃣.@zach_edey is off to @memgrizz! pic.twitter.com/wD8OSSqY5F
— Purdue Men's Basketball (@BoilerBall) June 27, 2024
For a player of colossal stature, Edey runs the floor well, has good flexibility and plays strong, physical ball. His standing reach (9-foot-7) ties Rudy Gobert for the tallest in the league and his wingspan is second in the NBA to Victor Wembanyama.
Edey’s durability and stamina are also tier 1 for a 7-footer. During the Boilermakers’ playoff run last season, Edey played the whole game nearly every game (35.7 minutes), averaging 29.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
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Edey led the Boilermakers to the national championship stage — where they fell to UConn — for the first time since 1969. In the championship, Edey posted 37 points and 10 rebounds as one of two players to score in double digits (the second being Braden Smith with 12 points).
There, Edey matched up against Donovan Clingan, who was drafted No. 7 by the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite Edey’s second highest-scoring game of the season, UConn’s strategy of shutting down the arc and daring Edey to win it for Purdue on 2s — on the block, where the big man thrives — reigned supreme.
Last season, Edey averaged a national best 14.3 points per game down low.
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On Zach Edey, and the things he carried for Purdue basketball
Edey was the Grizzlies’ sole first-round selection. Memphis picks at Nos. 39 and 57 on Day 2 of the draft Thursday.
Required reading
- Zach Edey, Donovan Clingan beg question: Does NBA have room for behemoth centers?
- Finding Zach Edey’s NBA fit, front office moves and more: Draft Combine notes
- 2024 NBA Draft Confidential: Coaches, executives, scouts on Alexandre Sarr and top big men
(Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski / NBAE via Getty Images)
