Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey got some bad injury news this week, as he’s out with a stress reaction in his left ankle. But for Portland Trail Blazers fans, that’s not the only interesting tidbit
to be published about the massive Grizzlies center. According to this article from John Hollinger of The Athletic [subscription required] writing about NBA “grinders” and “pit bulls”, Edey has a bit of a grudge against Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan.
For background, the Grizzlies took Edey 9th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. That’s two positions after the Blazers selected fellow center Clingan.
Hollinger relays:
Oh, you think a giant can’t have that dog in him? Think again. My first tip that Edey, who might be wired differently was from another team executive who interviewed him before the 2024 draft, and told me Edey had a Zach Edey-sized chip on his shoulder from how low he was rated before that process started. In particular, I was told it burned him up that UConn’s Donovan Clingan — whom Edey scored 37 points against in an NCAA tournament game — went two picks ahead of him.
Talk to Edey about it and he won’t mention the Trail Blazers center by name, but he doesn’t exactly shy away from the idea that he uses that draft cycle — and the one before it that saw him return to college despite being National Player of the Year — as motivation, and that he didn’t get enough credit for his mobility because of his size.
“I always felt like that,” said Edey, who the Grizzlies announced will be out with a stress reaction in his left ankle on Thursday. He will be reevaluated in four weeks. “I had games against people who were drafted in front of me or the lottery talents or whatever in my first few years. I win the matchup and then they get drafted in the lottery and I go back to college.”
Hollinger also tabs former Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker, currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, as a rough-and-tumble offensive rebounder with plenty of “dog” in him. No other Blazers, current or former, were mentioned in the article.
