For one night, Zach Edey showed the traditional center can still dominate in the NBA.
The Canadian stuffed the stat sheet in a way not seen since arguably the most dominant big man in league history in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 115-107 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, November 30. Edey finished the game with a career-high 32 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks on 16-20 shooting from the field, becoming the first player since Shaquille O’Neal to reach those totals on 80+ % field goal shooting.
Edey had every part of his game working on Sunday and took advantage of a Kings team without its best interior defender in Domantas Sabonis. He became the first player in NBA history to post his stat line in less than 30 minutes, as Sacramento had absolutely no answers for him in this contest.
After the Grizzlies selected Edey out of Purdue with the ninth overall pick in last year’s draft, many wondered how his skillset would translate to an NBA obsessed with spacing the floor and shooting threes. The two-time Wooden Award winner is finding a way to be a difference maker in his second season in the league.
Zach Edey’s Historic Night
Edey helped push the Grizzlies to a third-straight victory by recording his third double-double of the season, including six points in the final four minutes of the game. The Kings were lacking the size to defend him, and the big man completely owned the paint and the glass in the matchup.
“He had a big size advantage inside. We quickly decided to go through him early and often,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo said after the game. “Great job by him and the whole team, which identified where the advantage was.”
Edey joined some elite company with his performance on Sunday. Before him, the last three players to record at least 30 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and 75% shooting from the field in a game were Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan and O’Neal.
Zach Edey’s Development From Rookie Season
Edey had a strong rookie year, averaging 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and earning an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection, but the Grizzlies struggled to find an identity on offense. Head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired a few weeks before the postseason, and after Memphis was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, Edey underwent surgery to address laxity in his left ankle.
After missing the first month of the season, Edey has returned to a team that has made its young center the focal point of its offense (at least while Ja Morant recovers from a calf strain), and he is certainly benefitting. During Memphis’ current winning streak, Edey is averaging 19.3 points, 17.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks while shooting 71.8 % from the field.
Following the game against the Kings, Edey said he’s feeling like he’s “back at Purdue,” where he was the best player in the nation for two straight seasons.
“I feel really comfortable this year, just starting to settle in a little bit,” Edey said. “I feel like everyone’s been playing really good basketball. We’re controlling the paint, winning the rebound battle. Teams are having to take jump shots on us, and we’re always [active] around the rim. That’s the style of play we’re always looking for.”
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