Memphis Grizzlies rookie big man Zach Edey had an active first half in Friday’s road game against the New Orleans Pelicans. He made his presence felt on both ends and helped his team to a 74:61 lead at halftime.

The No. 9 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft out of Purdue had totals of eight points, four rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 11 minutes of play. Ja Morant led the team with 24 points.

Zach Edey’s stats against the New Orleans Pelicans:

Coming into the game against the Pelicans, Edey had a brilliant performance in the previous game, finishing with a massive double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds in the Grizzlies’ 155-126 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Memphis’ second straight victory over the Pelicans gave the Grizzlies a 22-10 mark and third place in the Western Conference. It was also the Grizzlies’ second straight and eighth in their last ten games. The next game is on Sunday in another away game against the OKC Thunder.

The rookie center from Purdue had an impressive night with the team, going 5-for-5 under the basket and being fouled twice. The Grizzlies big man missed his only three-pointer of the game.

Grizzlies coach impressed with Zach Edey’s play on offense While rookie Zach Edey has been a blessing on the Memphis Grizzlies’ defense, his coach also emphasized the important role he plays on offense to help them get things done. Taylor Jenkins pointed out that Edey posted a monster double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds in Thursday’s 155-126 home win over the Toronto Raptors. In particular, the coach pointed out that their big man more than performed on offense.

Jenkins said of Zach Edey’s game against the Raptors (via Yahoo! Sports):

“Zach was a force tonight. His rebounding was phenomenal. A few blocked shots, but just daunting shots in the paint, daunting drives in the paint. I thought he was pretty grounded on the offensive side with his finishing. He was able to get a better position. I really liked his spacing on the offensive side. Overall it was huge.”

Against the Raptors, Edey was efficient on the floor, making 9 of 15 shots from the floor, with nine of his 16 total rebounds coming from offensive boards. This season, the 7-foot-4 Edey consistently averaged 11.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and one assist in 22 minutes per game.