In the third quarter of an NBA Cup matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies, Draymond Green got a hold of big man Zach Edey’s leg and pulled him down to the ground as the rookie was trying to ignite a fast break sequence for Memphis.
Draymond Green trips Zach Edey: pic.twitter.com/f8CowE4RFh
— eric (@EricTweetsNBA) November 16, 2024
Green was assessed a transition take foul for sending Edey to the hardwood, but the play was never reviewed for a flagrant foul.
After the tight contest, which the Warriors went on to win by just five points, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins expressed discontent regarding Green’s foul toward his rookie.
“Overall, thought he was really good,” Jenkins said of Edey. “And very disappointing, there was that one play, we were about to start the break and he’s been playing really hard to try to outlet, and Draymond grabs his leg and pulls him down and it doesn’t get reviewed.
“So I know there’s a code in this league, and I don’t understand how that wasn’t reviewed. Very disappointing.”
Green has yet to pick up a flagrant foul this season after he committed two during the 2023-24 campaign. The defensive ace also racked up 13 technical fouls a season ago.
Ever since Edey had a quiet first couple games of the current campaign — he scored single digits in points in three of his initial four regular-season games — he has looked like a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate. He is averaging 11.5 points on 62.2 percent shooting from the field while also corralling 6.9 rebounds per game.
Plus, he had a really solid game against the Warriors, even if his Grizzlies didn’t come out on top. Edey totaled 14 points and nine rebounds to go along with one block and one steal. He also shot 5-of-8 from the field.
The youngster has proven to be quite the efficient scorer, and he was incredibly efficient with his scoring chances in the Grizzlies’ game against the Brooklyn Nets earlier in the month. Back on Nov. 4, he dropped a career-high 25 points and connected on all but one of his 12 shots from the floor.
But if Edey has underperformed in one area in the NBA, it’s as a rim protector. In his final season at Purdue University, he blocked 2.2 shots per contest and was a defensive force in the interior. However, he is averaging under one block per game so far with the Grizzlies, and he’s totaled more than two rejections in a game just once this campaign.
