Zach Edey finished fifth in the NBA's Rookie of the Year voting and made All-Rookie First Team in his inaugural season in the NBA. The Memphis Grizzlies selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to become their starting center of the present and future, and he delivered in the capacity they wanted.
He led the team in rebounding and became a physical force down the stretch of the regular season after the coaching switch from Taylor Jenkins to Tuomas Iisalo. Edey did what the team asked of him during his rookie season, but there is more he can do that the team will likely want displayed to vault itself into legit title contenders.