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Zach Edey · The good news for Zach Edey, upon starting the 2024-25 season, was that the luxury of being 7-foot-4 would allow him to tower over the NBA’s entirety. The bad news? Playing for a team with postseason aspirations left almost no room for "growing pains." Entrusted with a starting spot from Day One — something that only two other newcomers across the Association could say — the former Player of the Year-winning Boilermaker was thrust immediately into the spotlight. As verified through a No. 1 rank among rookies in rebounds (8.3), the No. 2 placement in overall plus-minus (+164), noteworthy points (9.2) and blocks (1.3) averages, and a valuable postseason trip, Edey passed said tests with flying colors. It turned out to be an “ace” for the Memphis Grizzlies as a whole, too, as Edey was joined by a fellow second-round-drafted teammate on the All-Rookie First Team. Leaving Year One as a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the ball, Memphis’ new enforcer has planted seeds for what appears to be night-after-night double-doubles over the next decade, at the very least. · State of Mint