The newest Memphis Grizzlies, including the tallest Grizzly ever, showed off their new colors Friday evening at FedExForum.
A trio of talented players filled two major holes on this Grizzlies roster, with rim protection and perimeter shooting.
Memphis drafting seven-foot four-inch two-time national player of the year Zach Edey, along with two sharpshooters in second rounders Jaylen Wells of Washington State and UConn’s Cam Spencer.
” When you look at all three of these men they’re winners, that’s the thing that we’ve constantly tried to prioritize the makeup of not just the player, but the person,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins.
Though it took a few years, drafting Edey is something that has been on the Grizzlies radar for quite some time.
” (Memphis) has been on me since I was a sophomore. They were always a team that was really interesting to me and had a lot of belief in me. They were the only team that believed in me and wanted to give me a deal after my sophomore year, that’s always kind of resonated with me and stuck with me,” said Edey.
Cam Spencer and Edey both know each other quite well, both happen to be represented by the same agency, but they both played their final collegiate game on the same hardwood in the National Championship game. It was Spencer’s Huskies that left as national champions, but now that they’re both Grizzlies there’s no bad blood.
” There’s a little trash talk there for sure, but we’re two competitive guys and, I think I have a ton of respect for him and the career that he had at Purdue,” said Spencer.
This draft class is also very excited to learn from their new vets and to also play with one of the best point guards in the game, Ja Morant.
“I feel like I’m pretty good at just to have that off-ball movement, find open gaps to shoot it and obviously, playing alongside people like Ja, he creates so much that you need kind of some floor space or is out there to just kind of open and open the floor for him, said Jaylen Wells.
” Its exciting just being able to play with Ja I think he’s the best point guard in the league and I think to be able to have that pressure offensively to do the thing that he does which makes my life so much easier,” added Edey.
“Those guys I think they’ve grown so quickly in this league so having four or five years they’ve really established themselves as any rookie I really want to leave from them and see why they’ve had success so early on in their careers,” said Spencer.
The Grizzlies are also getting a motivated Zach Edey, someone who’s been doubted for much of his career and still doubted despite being drafted in the top 10.
” Just being an underdog like it provides so much motivation. Like people keep telling you this. People keep trying to tell you who you are. Like, you don’t know me. It just adds fuel to the fire. I just let it fuel me. so you see it come out on the basketball court,” said Edey.
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