Grizzlies' Taylor Jenkins reveals long-term goals for rookie Zach Edey
Zach Edey established himself as a dominant center at Purdue, and Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins is eager to see the rookie take the next step in his development.
Edey led Purdue to the national championship game last season after averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and two assists on 62.3% shooting from the field. He became the first player in over 50 years to be named Player of the Year unanimously in consecutive seasons.
The 7-footer was highly touted for his scoring inside of the paint and ability to protect the rim with his 7-foot, 10 3/4-inch wingspan. Jenkins said Monday at media day that the team is excited to see Edey affect games with those traits, along with some new ones they hope to unlock.
I'm going to challenge him to continue to grow versatility on the outside being able to shoot the 3-ball, being able to defend on the perimeter, too. I think this guy is fully capable of it. It is going to take time as he adapts to the physicality and the speed, the game strategies and tendencies of the league.
Edey said Monday that he now weighs about 290 pounds, down nine pounds from his listed weight of 299 pounds at the draft combine in May. The change has enabled him to "move better than ever" from running, cutting and jumping on the court.
The 22-year-old is now tasked with learning how to play with the Grizzlies and what the team needs him to do, which is different than when he played in college. It has been the biggest adjustment he'll need to make as training camp opened on Tuesday.
I think at Purdue, I was mainly low post, block to block, follow the ball and that worked; that's what we did at Purdue. But for me, in the NBA, I got to figure out how to play on the perimeter a little more, how to space on the perimeter, how to cut and how to float between the dunker and the perimeter.
Edey was limited to two appearances in summer league due to two ankle injuries. He still looked like the part of being a lottery pick after recording 14 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks and one assist in his debut on July 8 and six points and three rebounds in his second game on July 18.
The performance, despite coming in a limited sample, was still enough for oddsmakers to anoint Edey as the front-runner to win Rookie of the Year. His chances of winning will be dependent on how large of a role he'll play, which is something that training camp will likely help decide.
Edey made it clear this week, though, that awards won't dictate how he plays. His main goal is to help the Grizzlies win this season in whatever role is asked of him on the court.
"I never really play for any awards or anything," Edey said. "I just play the game for the game, and however the season goes is how it goes. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't something I want to do, but that isn't the goal this season."
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Grizzlies news: Taylor Jenkins reveals long-term goals for Zach Edey
