NBA Boilers: Grizzlies Teammate Shouts Out Zach Edey After Double-Double vs. Mavericks

Questions lingered about Zach Edey's ability to contribute in a big way in the NBA's postseason following his performance in a 121-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Yes, the Memphis Grizzlies rookie posted an impressive stat line with 14 points, 17 rebounds and two assists, but defensively, he struggled against a high-octane offense.

Those concerns were quieted on Friday night, as the 7-foot-4 rookie out of Purdue put together another solid outing in the Grizzlies' 120-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Memphis advances to the NBA playoffs as the No. 8 seed and will play the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Edey ended Friday night's game with 15 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and an assist in the victory. It's his fifth double-double in the last 10 games. He recorded a double-double in each of the Grizzlies' two play-in games.

Following Friday's victory, Jaren Jackson Jr. was incredibly complimentary about Edey's play in recent weeks.

"He's doing it right now for us, and he's a rookie. We can't really ask anything more of him right now," Jackson said. "We ask for a lot from him, every night. He knows that. We can probably get annoying, but we appreciate how he handles it, with grace and he's really humble. I mean, If I was a two-time Player of the Year coming in to any team, I'd probably have something to say ... but he doesn't."

Edey has seemingly faced doubt at every turn in his career, even dating back to college. Even though he was the two-time National Player of the Year and led Purdue to the National Championship Game in 2024, there were critics who didn't believe his game would translate to the NBA.

So, when Edey heard the whispers about his performance against Golden State this week, he focused on proving them wrong against Dallas on Friday.

"I feel like a lot of people had a lot to say about me after that last game," Edey said. "People are going to talk, but I just wanted to come out here and prove to people what I can do."

Edey has been particularly successful since Memphis made a coaching change, moving on from Taylor Jenkins and putting an interim tag on Tuomas Iisalo. Since that change, the 7-foot-4 center is averaging 12.6 rebounds, 10.1 points and 1.5 blocks per game.

All those numbers are better than his season averages, posting 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest.

"I'm happy for him. I've always told him that he's going to know what's best as he progresses this season and (in) his career," Jackson said. "I think it's coming together for him in a lot of ways."

The challenge gets even bigger for Edey and the Grizzlies moving forward, playing top-seeded Oklahoma City in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday, April 20 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC.

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