Welcome to the Garden of Edey, where critics obsess over every flaw, but Zach Edey is set to prove them all wrong. Grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show.
In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard this one a million times. But have you ever heard about the Garden of Edey? No? Well, buckle up, because when I tried to type "Edey," autocorrect decided I meant "Eden." And that’s how we stumbled into this delightful metaphor.
So, Zach Edey, the 9th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is a 22-year-old, 7’4” behemoth who spent four years at Purdue. Each year, he’s gotten better, silencing critics who doubted everything from his draft potential to his ability to stay on the court without tripping over his own feet. Polarizing? You bet. His resume? Just back-to-back National Player of the Year titles and double-doubles in his last two seasons. No big deal, right? So why is such a decorated player under so much scrutiny? Welcome to the Garden of Edey, folks.
Enter Donovan Clingan, the supposed nemesis. Clingan, at a mere 7’2”, is a two-time NCAA champion and another darling of the NBA Draft, often pegged as a top 10 player. Why is Edey more polarizing than Donovan? Because the NBA Draft loves to pick on the "old" guys. They can’t just say, "Hey, you’re old, we don’t like you," so they nitpick every little thing. They obsess over the forbidden fruit of his game. Sure, Zach Edey isn’t winning any foot races, but guess what? He outperformed Clingan at the NBA Draft Combine and crushed him in the National Championship game. So there’s that.
Now, let’s talk about the Grizzlies. Zach Edey is joining forces with Ja Morant, who is, let’s face it, one of the best point guards in the NBA. Then there’s Jaren Jackson Jr., a former Defensive Player of the Year, and Marcus Smart, who also snagged that title a year before Jaren. Add in Desmond Bane, a three-point sniper and three-level scorer, and emerging talents like GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr. Oh, and let’s not forget Derrick Rose, the NBA vet whose knees have had more surgeries than a plastic surgeon’s client list.
Derrick Rose’s connection to Memphis is deep. A Chicago kid who played college ball in Memphis, led the team to a championship game, lost to Kansas. Fast forward to 2024, Zach Edey, like Rose back in the day, could be the missing piece for the Memphis Grizzlies. They need a big guy who can rebound, score occasionally, and just be a general menace in the paint. Zach Edey fits that bill perfectly.
But oh, the naysayers! They worry about Edey’s speed, his ability to keep up with quicker players. Newsflash: not many NBA players can keep up with the freakishly fast and athletic. Edey’s size and strength will make him a force on the boards, and his skills will make him effective offensively. So if you’re focusing on his weaknesses, the so-called forbidden fruit, you’re going to miss out on what the Garden of Edey has to offer.
Photo by D'Angelo Connell Photography
