MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The newest Memphis Grizzlies have experienced a whirlwind of emotions over the past week. Today, surrounded by their families, the emotions ran high, but nothing compared to draft night.
"I was actually disappointed I didn't hear from this year and then the draft comes up and all of a sudden I'm getting picked, so it caught me off guard but I couldn't be happier," Zach Edey said.
Jaylen Wells, the 39th pick, shared that while he didn't show much emotion outwardly, he was processing a lot internally. "I'm not really a person that shows a lot of emotion so I didn't really show a lot of emotion when I got drafted, but there was just kind of a lot going through my mind," he explained.
“It was a special moment for me and my family a lot of hard work to get to this point," Cam Spencer, the Grizzlies 53rd Pick said
For Zach Edey, the 9th overall pick, the draft was a particularly special moment. Despite his impressive college career at Purdue, where he won back-to-back national player of the year awards, there were doubts about how his game would translate to the NBA. Edey has faced skepticism throughout his life and uses it as motivation.
"It provides so much motivation, people keep telling you this, people keep telling you who you are. I don’t pay attention to it anymore; I just let it fuel me and then you kinda see it come out on the basketball court," he said.
Wells, who began his journey at the division two level at Sonoma State before transferring to Washington State for a year, is another underdog story. Reflecting on his journey, he said, "Honestly, if you asked me during my first year at Sonoma State where I would be now, I’d probably say gearing up for my fourth year at Sonoma State. It feels pretty surreal sitting in this seat now." He is excited to work with the team's veterans.
Spencer is looking forward to playing with established players like Desmond Bane and his former Loyola teammate Santi Aldama. "They’ve learned so quickly, having established themselves. As any rookie should, I want to learn from them and see why they’ve had success so early on in their careers," he noted.
Edey is eager to play alongside Ja Morant, whom he considers the best guard in the league. "It is exciting. He is the best guard in the league. To have that pressure and do the things that he does. It will make my life so much easier," he said.
The NBA Summer League begins on July 12th and we will likely see Spencer and Wells participate. Edey plays an integral role on the Canadian National Team and will likely not play in summer league because the Olympics begin in late July.