This is franchise player stuff, at a time when the Memphis Grizzlies need someone to stand up as one.
With Ja Morant still out, and Jaren Jackson Jr. still finding his game, second-year center Zach Edey has come back from an extended absence with aggression. And in Memphis’ 131-128 overtime win in New Orleans, which kept its NBA Cup hopes alive, Edey was more impactful than ever, even after he wasn’t certain to play due to a prior head injury.
Edey had 21 points and 15 rebounds, soaring for slams and shoving bodies aside, but that wasn’t the statistic that stuck out most.
In a game that the Grizzlies won by only five, they were 39 points better than the Pelicans when Edey was on the court. That set an NBA record.