In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart gushed about rookie Zach Edey’s defensive chops.
“Huge, man — he’s gonna be huge for us,” Smart said when asked how important Edey will be to Memphis’ effectiveness on the defensive end. “He allows us to do a lot of different things on the defensive end. He lets me and Jaren [Jackson Jr.] really give everything we’ve got. Being former Defensive Players of the Year, it’s great to have that rim protection behind us. And being 7-4 definitely helps with that. He moves very well, his IQ is very high, and he’s only continuing to get better.”
Edey was an intimidating rim protector in 39 games played with Purdue University during the 2023-24 college basketball season. He averaged 2.2 blocks per contest and 2.7 rejections per 40 minutes.
The neophyte gave Grizzlies fans a glimpse of his defensive skill set in Memphis’ preseason victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 7, as he blocked one shot and pulled down six defensive rebounds in under 20 minutes of action.
Who knows if Edey’s knack for blocking shots in college will carry over into the NBA right away, but he will play alongside two of the better defensive players in the NBA in Smart and Jackson and be able to learn from them. Smart won the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year award when he was a member of the Boston Celtics, and Jackson won the hardware the very next season.
Edey could learn a lot from both players, but it might make sense for him to pick Jackson’s brain the most. After all, Edey is a center, and Jackson was registered as a center for the Grizzlies last season (even though he played at the power forward position at times earlier in his NBA career).
Jackson may be the right person for Edey to turn to if he wants some guidance on how he can continue to be an elite shot-blocker in the pros. The 25-year-old has led the league in blocks per game twice across his first six seasons in the league, and he swatted a career-high 3.0 shots per game during the 2022-23 regular season.
If Edey can gradually find his footing with Memphis on the defensive end of the floor as his rookie season wears on, that could prove to be invaluable to the Grizzlies’ chances of solidifying themselves as contenders in the Western Conference once again.
