Is Zach Edey playing tonight against Utah Jazz? Update on rookie's Summer League debut (July 8)
The Memphis Grizzlies will start their Summer League campaign on Monday and fans are excited at the possibility of Zach Edey making his debut. Edey was named on the Grizzlies Summer League roster and will suit up for tonight's game against a talented Utah Jazz team that will be playing at home, we should see Edey make his highly anticipated professional debut.
The Summer League offers fans an opportunity to see some of the league's rising stars in action. Coaches have the chance to play some of their younger players and that should provide the perfect setting for Edey to get some minutes under his belt.
There were doubts whether the 7'4" center would join his NBA teammates for the Summer League. Edey was expected to join Team Canada at the Olympics in Paris which will begin on July 26. Last week, he pulled out of the Canadian National team to focus on his NBA career with the Grizzlies.
"I have made the difficult decision of pulling myself out of the process to compete for a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games...I have a duty now to properly prepare for all that is coming my way with being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies," Edey said in an official statement.
This will be a difficult test for Edey and his teammates. The Utah Jazz have several NBA-tested players on their roster including Walker Kessler, Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks and Brice Sensabaugh. The Jazz's talented rookie class of Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski will also likely see some minutes meaning Edey will have to be at his best.
The game is set to begin at 9:00 p.m. EST at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City Utah.
Grizzlies selected Zach Edey after a strong year with Purdue
Zach Edey was considered one of the top players at the collegiate level over the last two seasons. He was named the AP Player of the Year in 2023 and repeated the feat in 2024.
The Toronto native won a handful of other awards including being named the Sporting News National Player of the Year (2023, 2024), the Naismith Men's College Player of the Year (2023, 2024) and won the John R. Wooden Award (2023, 2024). He was also selected to the First-Team All Big-Ten in his junior and senior years.
Zach Edey was Purdue's standout player during their memorable run to the National Championship in 2024, where the team eventually fell short against a talented University of Connecticut team.
Last season, Edey averaged a whopping 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.2 blocks over 39 games for the Boilermakers.