10 Huge winners and unfortunate losers from the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft
By Matt Sidney
Loser: Memphis Grizzlies
I have never been high on Zach Edey. I thought it was hilarious when #1 seed Purdue lost to #16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the 2023 Men's College Basketball Tournament - but I digress. Zach Edey is a massive specimen, standing at 7-foot-4 and weighing 299 lbs. He has also been one of the most dominant players in college basketball each of the past two seasons.
I'm not sure if Edey will be a valuable NBA player or not, so I won't speculate. It seems like a stretch for the Grizzlies to pick him, especially considering that many mock drafts didn't even have Edey being selected in the lottery, let alone in the top 10.
The Grizzlies selected Edey most likely to be their starting center on day-dot. I believe that Edey would have been available later on in the draft and this was a big reach and misplay by the Grizzlies, a team looking to bounce back to put pressure on the West's supreme next season.