What Taylor Jenkins said after Zach Edey’s Grizzlies debut

Count Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins among those impressed by center Zach Edey’s debut in a Memphis uniform.

Edey starred for the Grizzlies in their NBA summer league opener against the Utah Jazz on Monday, scoring 14 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in a narrow overtime loss. The ninth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft had already gotten plenty of praise from the Grizzlies’ fan base before a tip-in with less than a second remaining that sent the game to overtime.

“So many encouraging signs from the game the other night,” Jenkins said on the ESPN broadcast during Tuesday’s Grizzlies game against Philadelphia. “Obviously he has that tip-in. Just the fire that he plays with. Obviously he had an unbelievable collegiate career at Purdue. We’re going to try to expand his game a little bit more. I think he can be a threat on the inside in the post, bringing that back a little bit.”

Jenkins also talked about Edey’s screen-setting ability, which will be a key this season as the rookie from Purdue integrates into a team led by star guard Ja Morant. Edey, who had four blocks in Monday’s game, improved significantly on the defensive end the floor during his college career but still faced questions about it during the pre-draft process.

“Defensively, he’s going to be in drop coverage,” Jenkins said. “We’re going to try to stretch to guard the perimeter a little bit more, because he’s got that competitive fire. But he goes in, has four, five, six blocks on the first shots, can clear out guys and let a teammate get a rebound … so many qualities that we really love in our bigs, and I think he’s going to be a great addition to our group.”

Edey was held out of Tuesday’s game but is expected to return for more summer league action.

The Grizzlies play in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night and will then head to Las Vegas for the 2K25 Summer League, which begins on Friday.

One of the reasons Edey’s performance against the Jazz was so impressive was because it came against Walker Kessler, a third-year center who has had success during his NBA career with the Jazz. Kessler and Edey went back and forth throughout the game.

“Walker definitely got the best of Zach a couple of possessions early in the game, going vertical. He had one late in the game too,” Jenkins said. “But then Zach had his moments too, finishing against that size. Walker is a phenomenal young big, he’s got a knack for blocking shots, altering shots, but Zach figured it out. That’s a great first test.”

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.