Memphis Grizzlies rookie Zach Edey joined an exclusive club following his performance against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. In that game, Edey scored 21 points on 60.0% shooting. He also grabbed 16 rebounds, nine of which were offensive, stopped two shots and had a +29 on the +/-. The Grizzlies won 155-126.

The only other player in league history to have more than 20 points, more than 15 rebounds, more than 9 offensive boards, two or more blocks, a shooting percentage above 50% and at least 25+ on +/- is Chinese Hall with a height of 7 foot 6 of fame center Yao Ming.

The fact that Edey achieved this in his rookie season and earned comparisons to Yao Ming is quite an achievement. However, Edey’s teammate Jaren Jackson Jr., the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year, pointed out a difference between Edey and Yao’s performance.

“Only 1 to 3 balls,” Jackson Jr. wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Zach Edey went 1-for-5 from the 3-point line against the Raptors. Meanwhile, when Yao Ming dropped that similar stat line, he didn’t hit a single 3-point shot.

Yao achieved this on March 11, 2005 against the Phoenix Suns. In this game, the Chinese center scored 27 points and secured 22 boards, 13 of which were on offense. He stopped five shots and shot 10 of 18 from the field (55.6%). He didn’t attempt a single shot from beyond the arc. The Houston Rockets defeated the Suns 127-107.

Also read: Zach Edey stats tonight: How did the Grizzlies rookie perform against the Toronto Raptors? (Dec 26)

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Zach Edey has nearly identical numbers to Yao Ming in his rookie season

Zach Edey’s physique is almost similar to Yao Ming’s. Edey is 7-foot-4 and his weight is listed at 305 pounds, while Yao was 7-foot-6 and 310 pounds. However, the two don’t just look similar in their physique. Edey is posting numbers in the first 19 games of his NBA career that are close to those of Yao Ming in his first season in 2002-03.

Yao averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and shot 49.8% from the field in his first season. So far, Edey is averaging 11.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 1.1 bpg and has made 59.5% of his shot attempts.

While they aren’t exactly the same, Edey does enough to earn comparisons to Yao, who had a legendary career. Yao was named an All-Star in his rookie season, the first of eight selections. He also finished second to Amar’e Stoudemire in the Rookie of the Year voting.

The difference between the two is their willingness to play from distance. In his rookie year, Yao Ming only attempted two 3-pointers and sank one. Meanwhile, Zach Edey has already attempted 20 tries in just 19 games and has sunk nine of them.

However, this stat is more a testament to the way the game has evolved over the years, with big men who can shoot from distance becoming the norm.