While some may have been shocked to see former Purdue basketball standout Zach Edey taken at ninth in the NBA Draft Wednesday, Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman was anything but.
While meeting with the media Wednesday night, Kleiman said the former Purdue basketball standout being available was exactly what the Grizzlies “were hoping would happen.”
“When we talk about the DNA of this team and what we are trying to build out, Zach Edey to a T is that definition. We could not be more thrilled to land him in this draft,” Kleiman said.
Edey is the second highest pick for Purdue basketball in the last three decades, joining top pick Glenn Robinson, who was selected first in 1994.
“Obviously, we are thrilled for Zach to be selected by the Grizzlies in the first round of tonight’s NBA Draft,” Purdue basketball head coach Matt Painter said. “Zach has been one of the hardest workers we have ever had in our program and he gave himself the opportunity to be in this position tonight. Memphis will be a great fit for him and are excited to watch his NBA journey unfold.”
For Edey, the selection was a “dream come true.”
“Memphis has such a great core and I am really excited to get down there and work. I want to thank the Grizzlies organization for the opportunity and am ready to take the next step in my journey. Go Grizz,” Edey said.
As a four year standout who wasn’t highly sought after coming out of high school, Edey proved his worth with the Boilermakers. He was a two time Naismith and Wooden awards winner, helped Purdue to the national championship game this past season and showed an ability to do it all.
As a senior, Edey averaged over 25 points and 12 rebounds to go along with 2.2 blocks and 2 assists, while shooting over 62 percent from the field. In the NCAA Tournament, Edey averaged 29.5 points and 14.5 rebounds.
Kleiman said Memphis turned its attention to Edey after his junior season when he tested the draft waters and stayed interested. He said the Grizzlies are excited about what Edey brings to Memphis, and it is something Painter talked about quite a bit — how do opposing teams game plan for the big man in the middle.
“It’s not easy to build a team that really can not just deal with different types of matchups, but what really appealed to us about Zach, you spend a lot of time trying to figure out how do we match up against this team, how do we match up against that team,” Klieman said. “Zach is incredibly unique in that you got to deal with him. From a size standpoint, from a physicality standpoint, that’s something other teams are going to have to grapple with. We want to have looks to throw out there that give us the advantage.”
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