Inside the Grizzlies' battle to get Zach Edey the ball: 'We got to be better about that'

Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey stretched his arms out wide and used his 290-pound frame to back a Charlotte Hornets center under the basket. Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart, dribbling with the ball, couldn't help but the notice 7-foot-4 target, so he positioned himself to throw a pass to Edey.

But there was a problem.

Edey relocated and moved out of the paint as if he wasn't expecting a pass. Smart immediately pointed to Edey and signaled for him post up his defender again.

This time, Edey wasn't as successful with getting positioning. Smart still attempted the pass, and the result was one of the Grizzlies' 22 turnovers in a 119-94 preseason loss to the Hornets on Thursday night inside FedEx Forum.

That sequence between Smart and Edey perfectly encapsulated how Grizzlies teammates are trying to learn how and when to get their new target the basketball.

"It's huge," Smart said. "We all know you can't teach 7-4. He's really good, but he's learning. ... Him being able to get those touches is going to be big for us."

Edey finished with 10 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes. He only made two of his eight shot attempts, but three of the misses were 3-pointers. In other words, Edey attempted five shots around the paint and made six free throws.

Getting Zach Edey the ball

Desmond Bane and Ja Morant noticed, too. The two star Grizzlies guards were sitting together on the bench when they saw Edey seal a defender under the basket and not get the ball.

Morant missed Thursday's game due to a mild ankle sprain. He will be the player tasked mostly with finding Edey in advantageous situations, as well as Bane and other guards.

"We got to be better about that," Bane said. "He's doing a lot for us — rebounding, screening and running the floor. If he's going to do that, we got to reward him with easy touches around the rim."

Finding Zach Edey's place in the offense

Low-post offense is not the major emphasis right now. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins constantly mentioned the word "pace" after Thursday's game, and it's been the buzz word all throughout the locker room and preseason camp.

Memphis is prioritizing playing fast. The idea is to get up the floor so quick that the defense doesn't have enough time to become set.

When playing that style, low-post offense can take a backseat unless the game slows down. Even outside of games, most of the offensive focus in practice has been about pace and offensive movement. Memphis is still installing offensive sets, and some of those could eventually be for Edey post touches.

"We will definitely get there," Kennard said. "It's definitely something that I think we will get to when we don't have the advantage in transition or after made baskets."

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Zach Edey's challenge

Edey's teammates can help him get adjusted, but he'll be the main person tasked with figuring things out. Grizzlies players are talking to Edey nearly every possession about positioning.

Running the floor was assumed as one of Edey's biggest challenges, but he hustled up the floor for an easy dunk early in Thursday's matchup. Now, the next step will be finding the balance on when to seal and demand the ball.

"I know my teammates are trying to look for me," Edey said. "I know they want to get me the ball. It's just a matter of figuring out the right spots."

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com . Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Inside the Grizzlies' battle to get Zach Edey the ball: 'We got to be better about that'