Zach Eddy got off to a strong start in his Summer League debut, more than making up for a late blunder on Monday night in Salt Lake City.
Surprisingly, that wasn’t enough to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to victory.
The former Purdue University star, who was selected by the Grizzlies with the ninth overall pick in arguably the most surprising move of the lottery portion of last month’s NBA draft, missed a potentially game-winning put-back dunk late in a summer league game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center.
But with just 0.8 seconds left, Eddie intentionally missed a free throw and then made a wild tip-in to send the game into overtime. It’s a play that teams often fail to make every season, but it was executed to perfection.
But despite his efforts, the Jazz still got their goal in an Elam-ending overtime period, starting with two free throws from Keyonte George. George drove to the rim, drew a foul from Eddie, then made his 16th and 17th free throws of the day to seal the 97-95 victory. George, who was drafted 16th overall by the Jazz out of Baylor last year, finished with 30 points in the win.
After a strong first quarter, Eddie slumped slightly, making 7 of 12 field goals to finish with a double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds. In the fourth quarter, he recovered from a blocked shot and slammed a dunk over the head of Jazz’s 7-footer Walker Kessler, only to have to scratch his head as he ran back to the other end.
The Jazz rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit and took the lead on a stunning Taylor Hendricks 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter, when Eddie missed a dunk that seemed to seal the loss for Memphis, but his tap-in gave them a little hope.
Eddie had six of his 15 rebounds in the first quarter, received a technical foul for a minor altercation just before halftime, then went down in a scary scene in the third quarter after stepping on Hendricks’ foot, but quickly returned to the game and finished the game without any issues with his sprained ankle.
Scottie Pippen Jr. led the Grizzlies with 21 points and five assists while shooting 8-of-14 from the field. Jake LaRavia added 18 points and seven rebounds. Kessler finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four blocks for the Jazz, while George scored 30 points. The Jazz committed 68 total fouls in the game.
Eddie led the nation with an average of 25.2 points per game last season at Purdue and won his second consecutive National Player of the Year award, something not seen in sports since Ralph Sampson won it three straight years from 1981-83. Eddie also led the nation with 12.2 rebounds and averaged 2.2 blocks per game while leading the Boiler Markers to the national title game.
The 7-foot-4 Toronto native was projected as a late first or early second round pick after the NCAA Tournament, but his draft standing skyrocketed in the weeks and months leading up to the draft. The Grizzlies were reportedly in negotiations to trade up to acquire the sixth pick in the draft, but that fell apart at the last minute. Eddy was the second center selected; University of Connecticut star Donovan Clingan was selected seventh by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Eddie and the Jazz will play against the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday and Wednesday before heading to Las Vegas for a summer league game on Friday. Though he was inconsistent throughout the game, Eddie showed glimpses on Monday of what he could be like as a center for the Grizzlies this season. For his summer league debut, Eddie is in good form.
