Former DPOY make feelings known on Zach Edey forming exclusive club with Yao Ming
Memphis Grizzlies rookie Zach Edey joined an exclusive club following his performance against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. In that game, Edey scored 21 points on a 60.0% shooting clip. He also grabbed 16 rebounds, nine of which came on the offensive end, rejected two shots and had a +29 on the +/-. The Grizzlies won 155-126.
The only other player in league history to have 20+ points, 15+ rebounds, 9+ offensive boards, two or more blocks, shot over 50% and had at least 25+ on the +/- is 7-foot-6 Chinese Hall of Fame center Yao Ming.
Edey accomplishing this in his rookie season and earning comparisons to Yao Ming is already quite the feat. However, Edey's teammate Jaren Jackson Jr., the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year, pointed out one difference between Edey and Yao's performance.
"Only 1 w a 3 ball," Jackson Jr. wrote on Twitter on Friday.
Zach Edey went 1-for-5 from the 3-point line against the Raptors. Meanwhile, when Yao Ming dropped this similar stat line, he did not nail a single 3-pointer.
Yao accomplished this on March 11, 2005, against the Phoenix Suns. In that game, the Chinese center scored 27 points and grabbed 22 boards, 13 of which came at the offensive end. He rejected five shots and shot 10-for-18 from the field (55.6%). He did not attempt a single shot from beyond the arc. The Houston Rockets beat the Suns 127-107.
Also read: Zach Edey Stats Tonight: How did the Grizzlies rookie fare against Toronto Raptors? (Dec. 26)
Zach Edey is posting near-identical numbers to Yao Ming in his rookie season
Zach Edey's build is nearly similar to Yao Ming's. Edey stands at 7-foot-4 and his weight is listed at 305 lbs while Yao was 7-foot-6 at 310. However, their build isn't the only thing where the two appear similar. Edey, through the first 19 games of his NBA career, is posting numbers that are close to what Yao Ming had in his first season back in 2002-03.
Yao averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and shot 49.8% from the field in his maiden season. So far, Edey is averaging 11.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.1 bpg and has made 59.5% of his shot attempts.
While they aren't exactly the same, Edey is doing enough to earn comparisons to Yao, who had a legendary career. Yao was named an All-Star in his rookie season, which was the first of eight selections. He also finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Amar'e Stoudemire.
The difference between the two is their willingness to play from the perimeter. In his rookie year, Yao Ming only attempted two 3-pointers and sank one. Meanwhile, Zach Edey has already attempted 20 and sank nine in only 19 games.
However, this stat is more likely a testament to the way that the game has evolved over the years, wherein big men who can shoot from the perimeter are becoming the norm.