NBA Boilers: Zach Edey Draws Comparisons to Shaq During Monster 2-Game Stretch

After recording 40 total rebounds in his last two games, Memphis Grizzlies rookie Zach Edey has joined the elite company of Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard.

Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey (14) during payers introductions | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Zach Edey's last two NBA games have been Shaquille O'Neal-like. That's not hyperbole, it's a fact. The Memphis Grizzlies rookie and former Purdue superstar has had one of the most dominant two-game stretches on the glass since the Hall of Fame center was wearing an Orlando Magic jersey in the 1990s.

On Tuesday night, Edey had another tremendous performance, scoring 17 points and grabbing 19 rebounds in the Grizzlies' 124-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets. His big night came just three days after he collected 21 rebounds in a 109-103 win over the Detroit Pistons.

In his last two outings, Edey has pulled down 40 total rebounds, becoming the first rookie to hit that mark in a two-game span since O'Neal did it in the 1993 season with the Magic.

Zach Edey is the first rookie to have 40+ REB over any two-game span since Shaq in 1993. pic.twitter.com/pj7tmpfAcX

— StatMamba (@StatMamba) April 9, 2025

Additionally, Edey became the first NBA rookie since Dwight Howard to post back-to-back games with 19 rebounds or more. Howard accomplished that feat in 1995 as a member of the Magic.

Edey also became the fourth rookie in Grizzlies history to record multiple games with 15-plus points and 15-plus rebounds, joining Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

The former Purdue star first hit the mark back on Dec. 26, scoring 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in a 155-126 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Edey has been a menace on the floor since the start of April, averaging 10.1 points, 17.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 blocks per game in four games. He's also seen a lot more playing time recently, averaging 30 minutes per contest. His season average is 21.1 minutes per game.

The Grizzlies are 3-1 in the latest four-game stretch.

For the season, Edey is averaging 9.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

Memphis still has three games remaining in the regular season, playing the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks to close out the year. The Grizzlies currently sit No. 7 in the Western Conference standings and would have a spot in the play-in tournament. However, the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Nuggets are all also 47-32 currently.

If Edey's run of dominance continues, perhaps the Grizzlies can do just enough to earn a top-six seed in the Western Conference playoffs and avoid the NBA play-in tournament.

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