Zach Edey Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: J. Smith, H. Jones, Grizzlies, Edey

September 24th, 2024 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award in 2023, while the No. 2 pick in the ’22 class, Chet Holmgren, would have claimed the award in 2024 if not for Victor Wembanyama‘s historic season.

However, Rockets forward Jabari Smith – the third overall pick in 2022 – struggled in his first professional season, and while he improved his shooting percentages in year two, he hasn’t yet shown the kind of All-NBA potential that Banchero and Holmgren have displayed.

As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes in a subscriber-only story, Smith just turned 21 in May and has intriguing tools to go along with a strong work ethic, seemingly making him a strong candidate for a breakout season in 2024/25.

Still, as Feigen acknowledges, the Rockets will want to make sure players like Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet, and Amen Thompson have the ball in their hands frequently, which may not leave a ton of opportunities for Smith to create his own scoring chances. He’ll still be relied upon largely as an off-ball floor spacer on offense, Feigen adds, so while a third-year leap is a possibility, it might be more realistic to expect continued steady growth from the former No. 3 overall pick.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Herbert Jones admitted it was a great feeling to make the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team last season, but the Pelicans forward doesn’t want to get complacent after earning that honor for the first time in 2023/24, writes Christian Clark of NOLA.com (subscription required). “It felt amazing,” Jones said. “At the same time, you are always trying to reach for more. After I saw the news, my initial thought was, ‘You have to do it again.'”
Will any of the Grizzlies players currently on Exhibit 10 contracts – Miye Oni, Yuki Kawamura, Maozinha Pereira, and Armando Bacot – stick with the team into the regular season? Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal explores that question, suggesting that the team’s relative lack of depth in the frontcourt could make Bacot the best bet to make the 18-man roster. If the Grizzlies were to promote a two-way player like Scotty Pippen Jr. to the standard roster, it could open up a two-way slot for a camp invitee such as Bacot, Cole notes.
In a separate story for The Commercial Appeal, Cole spoke to Purdue assistant coach Brandon Brantley about what to expect from former Boilermakers star Zach Edey, whom the Grizzlies selected with the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft. While there are questions about how some aspects of Edey’s game will translate to the NBA, the big man’s rebounding definitely won’t be an issue at the next level, according to Brantley. “Memphis is going to have a dude in that paint that’s going to hold that paint down,” Brantley said. “Usually guys that size will try to rebound their area. He rebounds outside of his area. It means something to him.”

Southwest Notes: Grizzlies, Zion, Luka, Washington, Rockets

September 20th, 2024 at 2:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Star point guard Ja Morant believes back-to-back college Player of the Year Zach Edey will have a strong debut season in the NBA, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Edey, who played four years at Purdue, was selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 9 overall pick in June’s draft.

“Definitely rookie of the year,” Morant said of his expectations for Edey. “I think easily, too.”

As Cole writes, Edey worked out with his new teammate earlier this summer and Morant came away impressed.

“For him to come in and say he wants to work out with me and then getting through the workout throughout the whole week, it was big-time for him,” Morant said. “It made me excited to have him on the team. His skill set is even much better.”

Here’s more from the Southwest:

Morant was suspended for the first 25 games of last season, played nine games, and then suffered a shoulder injury which required season-ending surgery in January (Memphis went 6-3 with him and 21-52 without him). However, he was cleared for contact work in early July and is fully healthy ahead of training camp, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Morant estimated he was at 75% strength in late July. Fellow Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart, who was limited to 20 games last season due to a litany of injuries, also makes ESPN’s list of key player returns to monitor for 2024/25, as does Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who is fully recovered from the left hamstring strain he suffered late last season, per Andrew Lopez.
Jack Tien-Dana of RealGM weighs the pros and cons of Mavericks star Luka Doncic being physically stronger and heavier than he was when he first came in the league, writing that the 25-year-old and Dallas will need to “reconcile a series of contradictions” to get the best out of the All-NBA guard deep in the playoffs.
In a subscriber-only story for his Substack, Dallas Hoops Journal, Grant Afseth says Mavericks forward P.J. Washington could be the team’s “X-factor” heading into 2024/25. In order to optimally complement Doncic and Dallas’ other starters, Washington will need to become a more consistent outside shooter, Afseth observes. Washington entered last season with a career mark of 36.6% from three-point range, but shot just 32.0% from beyond the arc in ’23/24.
The Rockets brought back Jeff Green and Aaron Holiday because they showed they could be productive when called upon last season despite having inconsistent roles, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). The two veterans are also valued for their leadership, Feigen notes. The Rockets opted to guarantee Green’s $8MM salary for 2024/25, while Holiday re-signed with Houston on two-year, $9.6MM deal in free agency.

Southwest Notes: Mamukelashvili, Spurs, Washington, Edey

September 10th, 2024 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

After initially tendering Sandro Mamukelashvili a qualifying offer in June to make him a restricted free agent, the Spurs renounced the big man’s rights in July in order to maximize their cap room. While Mamukelashvili wasn’t sure at that point what his future held, he tells Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required) that his “heart loves San Antonio” and that he was glad to end up re-signing with the Spurs on a one-year, minimum-salary contract.

“You always want to be bought into something special and be a part of something special,” Mamukelashvili said. “With Victor (Wembanyama) being here and adding a couple veterans and some great young guys, it’s something you want to be a part of. It’s constant growth. Nobody’s just sitting laid back. Everybody comes to the gym and works hard. You want to be part of that.”

It’s the second straight summer that Mamukelashvili has re-signed with the Spurs on a one-year deal. He admitted to McDonald that he wasn’t quite as stressed out during his most recent foray into free agency, in part because teams besides the Spurs expressed interest in him.

“My first free agency, if you saw me you would have thought I was a dead man walking,” Mamukelashvili said. “I was not sleeping. I’m on Twitter like, ‘What’s going on? Just give me a minimum deal, you know?'”

Mamukelashvili didn’t play a ton in his first full season in San Antonio in 2023/24, averaging 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game across 46 appearances (five starts). The 25-year-old’s playing time is unlikely to increase substantially in his fourth season, but he’s OK with the idea of accepting a modest role.

“A guy in my situation, just one more year in the league is already a celebration,” he said.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

The Spurs announced on Tuesday in a press release that they’ve hired Mike Noyes as an assistant coach and director of player development while also promoting Josh Larson to general manager of the Austin Spurs and former NBA big man Gorgui Dieng to Austin’s assistant GM. Noyes has spent the past six seasons with the Grizzlies, most recently as a player development coach. Larson has been in the Spurs organization since 2019, while Dieng was hired in 2023 following his retirement as a player.
Speaking at a youth basketball camp in Dallas over the weekend, veteran forward P.J. Washington said he believes the Mavericks are capable of winning a title after their offseason moves and discussed the areas of his own game that he’s working on improving, as Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News relays. “My ball-handling, being able to rebound the ball and just push and be another outlet,” Washington said. “Being able to shoot off the dribble. Pretty much everything. Working on finishing through contact. Just trying to be a better three-level scorer and trying to be a better play-maker.”
Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal explores what Grizzlies fans should realistically expect from rookie center Zach Edey, who will likely be asked to play a significant role in his first NBA season.

Jokic Tops Poll For Best Player; Gilgeous-Alexander Gets Nod For 2024/25 MVP

August 26th, 2024 at 10:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the best NBA player right now but he’s not going to win another Most Valuable Player award next season.

That’s the majority opinion of the 18 NBA coaches, scouts and executives that ESPN’s Tim Bontemps polled. All but three of them believe Jokic is the league’s top player.

However, when the subject of next season’s MVP came up, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received seven votes. A handful chose Mavericks guard Luka Doncic with Jokic only receiving two votes.

The Thunder and Celtics are the solid favorites to emerge from their respective conferences and square off in the Finals. Boston received 13 votes to win the East, while Oklahoma City picked up 14 votes to emerge from the West. The Celtics received eight votes to repeat as champions, while the Thunder were chosen by seven members of the group.

There was no love for the top pick in the draft, Zaccharie Risacher.The Hawks big man didn’t receive a single vote for Rookie of the Year. The same goes for the topic of best player from the 2024/25 rookie class in five years. Grizzlies center Zach Edey garnered a panel-best eight votes for ROY, while Rockets guard Reed Sheppard was chosen by eight of them to be the best of the bunch in five years.

Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama got two-thirds of the vote for top overall player in five years.

Execs, Scouts Share Feedback, Predictions For 2024 Draft Class

July 31st, 2024 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Of the 20 NBA executives and scouts polled by Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com (Insider link), 15 predicted that Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, will have a more successful NBA career than No. 2 pick Alex Sarr of the Wizards.

However, only one of those 20 respondents predicted that Risacher will end up being the best pick of the 2024 draft. Seven voters chose No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard for that honor, per Givony and Woo.

“Sheppard is going to help Houston right away, and I think he has a chance to be an All-Star down the road,” one high-level Eastern Conference executive told ESPN.

Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, who went seventh overall, was the second-leading vote-getter for the best pick of the draft, earning three votes.

“I thought [Clingan] was a steal on draft night at 7, but the things he did defensively in summer league were unreal with the impact he made,” one respondent said. “Now they have him shooting trail and pick-and-pop threes. If he starts making those consistently, that’s a game-changer with the way he can pass and protect the rim.”

Here are a few more of the most notable answers from the poll conducted by ESPN’s draft experts:

Pistons forward Ron Holland (No. 5 overall) and Bucks guard AJ Johnson (No. 23) each earned four votes for the biggest reach of the draft. “I feel bad for Cade Cunningham,” one source told ESPN. “They’ve been rebuilding for years even though they never planned on it, and this pick signals they might need to blow up the roster and start over again. I just don’t see how [Holland] plays with Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and all their other young guys. That situation is a mess. Even when Holland was scoring in Vegas, it was so ugly to watch.”
Five of the 20 respondents picked Wizards guard Carlton Carrington (No. 14 overall) as the player who will become the biggest steal of this year’s draft, with one Western Conference executive comparing him to Tyrese Maxey.
Sheppard (seven votes), Grizzlies center Zach Edey (four), Spurs guard Stephon Castle (three), and Clingan (two) were the only players who were chosen by multiple respondents as their Rookie of the Year pick.
Feedback on this year’s two-day draft format was generally positive, according to Givony and Woo, with executives expressing appreciation for the break in between the two rounds that allowed them to do additional research ahead of day two. However, one GM criticized the decision to invite so many prospects to the green room, since it resulted in multiple players leaving Barclays Center after day one without being selected.
Here’s how one of ESPN’s 20 respondents evaluated the two-day format: “Some of the people in our front office didn’t like how much this second day helps the disorganized teams who typically wing it and can be taken advantage of from a strategy standpoint. But the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to better drafting and decision-making. There were a ton of trades and I think next year you’ll see some real creativity now that we have a better idea for how the evening looks.”

And-Ones: Brooks, Too-Early Preseason Takes, Sneed, Exum

July 29th, 2024 at 9:33pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Dillon Brooks is continuing his impressive FIBA streak, helping lead Canada to an 86-79 win over Greece in his team’s Olympic opener. Brooks, who made a trio of three-pointers in the win, also had an impressive 2023 World Cup, averaging 15.1 points per game en route to a bronze medal.

As Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews writes, Brooks pushes himself to another level in international play.

“I like to play for my country; it gives me a lot of passion to do so,” Brooks said. “For the game itself, you have to be 40 minutes attentive to detail. All those things add a lot more to a player, and I like the ball as well.”

Brooks also impressed on defense alongside Thunder wing Luguentz Dort. According to Urbonas, when that duo shared the floor, Canada outscored Greece by 23 points.

“I’m really proud of Dillon,” national team coach Jordi Fernandez said. “This is how it looks when they let Dillon Brooks play. And it’s just not about the defensive end. With Lu Dort, he’s the best perimeter in the World Cup. But he’s extremely efficient offensively.”

Brooks said he didn’t care if his international play changed how NBA fans felt about him.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic share the honor of having the same odds for Most Valuable Player next season, but Anthony Edwards is a dark horse, Jason Jones of The Athletic writes. Zach Edey is currently the favorite for Rookie of the Year over top-two picks Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, but Cody Williams is a player Jones believes may be getting overlooked. Jones talks through all the major awards, as well as some teams he does or doesn’t believe in.
Former NBAer Xavier Sneed signed with Bnei Herzliya Basket, a team in Israel, the club relays in a release (Twitter link). Sneed played 13 games across two seasons (2021-23) on two-way or 10-day contracts with the Hornets, Grizzlies and Jazz. He’s scored 22 points in 87 total minutes at the NBA level.
As we relayed Sunday, Australian guard Dante Exum seemed to be nearing a return from a right index finger injury. Boomers coach Brian Goorjan confirmed as much, stating that he expects Exum to return on Tuesday vs. Canada, according to Fox Sports’ Matt Logue (Twitter link).

Heat, Grizzlies To Meet For Las Vegas Summer League Title

July 22nd, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Summer League action will come to an end on Monday night as the Heat and Grizzlies battle for the championship in Las Vegas. Both teams have compiled 5-0 records in Vegas, and both reached the finals with narrow wins on Sunday.

Miami edged the Warriors, 102-99, using a late 27-11 run to erase a 10-point third quarter deficit, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The victory avenged a 39-point loss to Golden State in the California Classic.

“We always want to win,” said Heat Summer League head coach Dan Bisaccio. “So no matter what, when we have an opportunity to win a championship, of course we’re going for it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Summer League, it doesn’t matter if it’s some kind of spring ball. Whatever it is, we’re always going to want an opportunity to compete for a championship.”

Free agent guard Josh Christopher had 23 points to lead Miami, with 13 of those coming in the fourth quarter. First-round pick Kel’el Ware contributed 18 points and five rebounds, while second-rounder Pelle Larsson filled the stat sheet with 21 points, four rebounds, six assists and four steals.

The shorthanded Grizzlies were missing Jake LaRavia, Cam Spencer and Zach Edey due to injuries, but they were able to edge the Clippers, 99-98, per Josh Crawford of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Second-round pick Jaylen Wells was 6-of-7 from three-point range while scoring 20 points, and 2023 second-rounder GG Jackson also had 20 points. Scotty Pippen Jr., who joined Memphis on a two-way deal in January, posted a triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

LaRavia was held out of Sunday’s game due to lingering knee soreness, Crawford adds, while Spencer and Edey were both inactive after leaving Thursday’s contest with minor injuries. None of them are expected to play tonight, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel.

Memphis will be trying to win its first Las Vegas Summer League title since 2019 when Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke were rookies. This is the first appearance in the Summer League title game for Miami.

Southwest Notes: Geriot, Murphy, Edey, Castle

July 12th, 2024 at 10:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dan Geriot is joining the Pelicans as an assistant coach under Willie Green, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweets. Geriot spent the past nine years with the Cavaliers. New Orleans’ interest in Geriot was reported earlier this week.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans wing Trey Murphy, who is participating this summer with the Select Team, said that if Zion Williamson can stay healthy, New Orleans will be a serious contender. “You get to see what a generational talent looks like with a healthy team. That’s the biggest thing. We’ve got to be healthy,” Murphy told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “That’s always been our thing for my entire time in New Orleans. If we have a healthy team, I think we can make a deep run.”
Grizzlies lottery pick Zach Edey sat out Friday’s Summer League game against the Kings with a mild ankle sprain, according to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com (Twitter link). Edey is expected to return to action in Las Vegas at some point.
Spurs lottery pick Stephon Castle has aspirations to be a starting point guard but it probably won’t happen this year with Chris Paul signing with the club. Castle says he’s looking forward to the experience of playing with and learning from the future Hall of Famer. “I’m super happy about that,” Castle told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. “To have a guy like that and play alongside him and have him mentor me a bit, it’s going to be fun.”

Grizzlies Sign Zach Edey To Rookie Contract

July 6th, 2024 at 5:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

No. 9 overall pick Zach Edey has signed a rookie scale contract with the Grizzlies, the team announced (via Twitter).

The 7’4″ Edey was named National Player of the Year in each of his last two seasons at Purdue. He averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game this season as the Boilermakers reached the championship game of the NCAA Tournament. His other honors as a senior include All-Big Ten First Team, NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team and NCAA Midwest Region Most Valuable Player.

Despite his college accolades, Edey was originally viewed as questionable to be taken in the lottery because of doubts regarding how well he can adapt to the NBA game. He’ll join a Memphis team that’s in need of size and should give him plenty of playing time right away.

The Canadian center was on the preliminary roster for his country’s Olympic team, but he recently withdrew to concentrate on preparing for his first NBA season.

Assuming Edey received the maximum contract for the ninth pick, he will earn about $5.76MM as a rookie and approximately $26.2MM over the four-year deal. The Grizzlies will hold his third- and fourth-year options.

Western Notes: Edey, Canada, Spurs, Castle, Clippers

June 30th, 2024 at 10:45pm CST by Rory Maher

The Grizzlies selected back-to-back college Player of the Year Zach Edey with the No. 9 pick in the 2024 draft. The 7’4″ center, who is from Toronto, was on the preliminary roster for the Canadian national team, but he decided to withdraw from consideration for the 12-man roster ahead of the team’s training camp as it prepares for the Olympics in Paris next month, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Edey will be prioritizing his development with Memphis ahead of his rookie NBA season.

“Representing Canada in the Olympics remains a lifelong dream of mine, but for now, I look forward to being the team’s biggest fan from this side of the Atlantic,” Edey said as part of a larger statement (Twitter link via Grange).

Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:

The Spurs intend to sign future Hall of Famer Chris Paul to a one-year, $11MM+ contract once he clears waivers. That one-year agreement isn’t a coincidence, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, who hears the team is prioritizing short-term contracts to maximize financial flexibility for the 2025 offseason (Twitter link). The list of free agents for next year can be found here. Of course, it’s possible the Spurs may be more focused on trade possibilities in 2025 than free agency, as they control several future first-round picks.
Spurs No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle is thrilled to team up with reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, writes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. “Just the thought of playing with him, of course it circulates in your mind, but it really doesn’t feel real until it becomes reality,” Castle said. “So I mean, just to know that that’s going to be my future teammate now, I’m just really excited for what our future looks like.” Castle won a championship with UConn in his lone collegiate season.
With Mason Plumlee heading to Phoenix and Daniel Theis, Moussa Diabate and Kai Jones all unrestricted free agents, the Clippers are looking for a new backup big man, per Law Murray of The Athletic. The Clips expect to work out a new deal with Jones and there’s a chance Diabate could be back too, Murray says, but neither player has a proven track record in the NBA.