The Memphis Grizzlies looked much more competitive against the Houston Rockets on Monday night compared to what they did last week against the same team. That’s a plus - win or lose, Memphis being able to hang with the best of the Western Conference on the road bodes well for their chances in the playoffs this Spring.
But there was something that stood out watching the game. And has become more of a trend than it should.
Before Edey missed a couple games in concussion protocol he was regularly logging 24 or more minutes a game. Since he returned he has seen the floor less by about five minutes a game. Not only that, his shot attempts have also gone down in part because of that playing time decline.
The two-time National Player of the Year was always going to have to get used to a new role in the NBA at large. Memphis of course would be no different. But for a player who was projected to be a starter who would log over 25 minutes a game by most, the reduction in role recently has been a surprise.
Especially when you consider the fact that most any “Rookie of the Year” power ranking includes Zach Edey.
It also often includes his teammate Jaylen Wells - what a draft Memphis had! But that’s a topic for another newsletter.
Edey has earned the hype surrounding his Rookie of the Year potential. At the least Edey will be an All-Rookie team member. But despite that productivity, Grizzlies Head Coach Taylor Jenkins has relied on him less of late.
Why? Perhaps it’s match-up dependent. That at least makes basketball sense. Jenkins being worried about what opponents can take advantage of with Edey defensively and not seeing the value of Edey’s offense when compared to that risk? There’s an argument there.
But that runs counter to the now nearly infamous press conference where Grizzlies General Manager Zach Kleiman stated that opponents would have to adjust to Edey just as much as Edey would have to adjust to play in the NBA.
Kleiman and Jenkins have been essentially entirely in lockstep all through this Ja Morant era. But how Edey is utilized may well be the first space where the two sides disagree. Edey can shoot the three point shot better than he was expected to at Purdue, but he’s not supposed to be a 7'4" floor spacer.
That is a lot of what he did against Houston, though. Far out screens, with limited rolls to the rim, attempting to pull bigs away from the paint. That’s a far cry from low post dominance.
Defensively? There were moments where Edey’s length and physicality gave the Rockets real issues - Alperen Sengun did not handle the size of Edey well at times. But in fairness to Jenkins, Edey also fouled out in 24 minutes of play. He continues to adjust to the NBA.
Could the Memphis coaching staff help in that process more? A post set here, a screen and roll closer to the rim to start the set there wouldn’t hurt. And an All-Rookie campaign could be even better.
