Happy homecoming for Grizzlies’ Zach Edey against Raptors

TORONTO — Scottie Barnes is a big human. The Toronto Raptors star stands six-foot-eight, and his wide shoulders and long arms give him the wingspan of a condor. It was measured at seven-feet-two inches at his pre-draft workout. 

Barnes can get off his feet too, there’s not too many balls above the rim that he can’t make a play on. But on this one, he didn’t bother. The pass looked it was sailing safely out of bounds, out of the reach of everyone.

Well, except for someone, and that would be the man Barnes was guarding: Memphis Grizzlies centre Zach Edey, all seven-foot-four and 300 pounds of him.

Turns out being massive is a nice advantage. On this play, even though the pass was too high for Barnes to even try to make a play on it, Edey simply reached up and caught the ball in both hands and laid it in.

It wasn’t exactly the most elegant moment, but it was very effective, as was Edey in the rookie’s first NBA game in his hometown.

The 22-year-old finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and was a team-best +32 in his 25 minutes after going 5-for-5 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in what ended up being a 138-107 blowout win for the visitors. It was Edey’s third straight double-double, a career-best.

He said he was more excited than nervous and allowed that it was a weird feeling to see himself displayed on the video board and cheered when he took the floor for pre-game warmups with roughly 100 friends and family in the crowd.

“I’ve watched a few games in here, never played here before,” he said. “It was real cool, real cool. Before tip-off I kind of looked around, took it all in. It was real cool. When the schedule came out, I looked at this game to see where it was at.”

Edey wasn’t the only problem the Raptors had with the Grizzlies, but he was a big one, pardon the pun.

He requires constant attention when he’s on the floor because he’s a walking offensive rebound. When he sets screens for Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant, it’s like watching a defender play cat-and-mouse around an apartment building.

When he’s in the paint, it’s not so much the shots Edey blocks, but the ones opponents choose not to take. And keeping him off the glass is a nice theory, but it simply doesn’t work very well. He had five offensive rebounds against Toronto, and made the Raptors pay for trying to keep a body between him and where he wants to go. More than once, veteran Canadian big man Kelly Olynyk – starting in place of injured Jakob Poeltl (hip) – found himself flung to the floor like a toy doll, and Olynyk is seven feet and 250 pounds himself.

“He’s a monster,” said Olynyk, who has seen Edey progress from a raw prospect in senior men’s national team camps to a candidate for NBA rookie-of-the-year. “That’s what he does and he does it well. All his elbows are at head level, he can’t help it. Physically he’s leaned out but has kept up his size and strength and they’ve got a great role for him there.”

After the game, Olynyk reportedly was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Brandon Ingram deal.

Edey was only part of the Raptors’ problem. They didn’t have an answer for six-foot-11, 250-pound power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. who led all scorers with 32 points in 28 minutes on 10-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three. And while trying to account for Jackson Jr. and Edey, there was Morant gliding around, getting anywhere he wanted when the mood struck as he finished with 26 points and four assists on 9-of-14 shooting.

The Raptors had some bright spots. They led 29-22 after the first quarter and 59-53 at halftime, but perhaps feeling the effect of the second night of a back-to-back, they gave up 43 points in the third quarter and 42 in the fourth. In two games against the Grizzlies – who have won of 10 of their past 11 and are firmly in second place in the Western Conference – the Raptors have lost by an aggregate total of 60 points.

The Raptors got some good minutes from some of their rookies. Ja’Kobe Walter  finished with 14 points, three rebounds. three assists and two steals while shooting 5-of-11 from the floor. Jamal Shead, in his first career start with Immanuel Quickley resting, had 14 points and four assists on 5-of-10 shooting and was 2-of-5 from three. It was a tough night for Barnes, who was 4-of-18 from the floor and 0-of-7 from deep, though he did have nine assists and two steals.

But the conclusion, as the Raptors lost their second straight and fell to 16-35 for the season as they set out on a three-game road trip, is that a team like the Grizzlies represents a standard the Toronto is well short of for now.

“That’s a team that’s been in construction for six or seven years,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, who was an assistant in Memphis before being hired by Toronto for the 2023-24 season. “You have pay a lot of compliments to what they have and what they’ve achieved, and you know, it was a rough night.”

Grange for three

• It may have been my imagination, but there seemed to be a murmur that passed through the crowd shortly after halftime when reports began circulating that Jimmy Butler had been traded to the Golden State Warriors in a deal that included Canadian Andrew Wiggins going to the Miami Heat, along with former Raptor Dennis Schroder, and a protected first-round draft pick. It was initially reported that the Raptors were involved in the deal as a facilitator, absorbing Kyle Anderson and the two years and $18 million remaining on his contract from Golden State. It seemed strange to me as the Raptors have passed on other trade opportunities that required them to take on future money. The going rate for taking on $18 million is – roughly – a protected first-round pick or three or four second-rounders. Neither seemed to be forthcoming and sure enough I was able to report that the Raptors were not going to be part of the trade.

• As for trade intel, the best I have at the moment is that Chris Boucher – who didn’t play against the Grizzlies even though he was available after missing a game a practice this week due to illness – is “50-50” to be traded, per a source. Chances are it goes down to wire for the eight-year veteran, who is on an expiring contract. He’s had his suitors, but nothing has made it over the finish line yet. I can report that there’s mutual interest in having Boucher back next season. While term and money for the 32-year-old would need to be worked out, the Montrealer has impressed this season with his play and professionalism. After that, I don’t see anything happening with Poeltl, but never say never. Presuming he stays on, I wouldn’t be surprised if the veteran big man is looking for an extension sooner than later. The 29-year-old has one year and 19.5 million left on his deal with a player option for $19.5 million in 2026-27.

• The Raptors head off on a three-game road trip starting in Oklahoma City on Friday, Houston on Sunday and finish against the suddenly revitalized Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday before coming back to Toronto to host the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb.12 on the second night of a back-to-back and the end of a road trip and before the all-star break. I’ll be on the trip. Should be interesting.

More from Sportsnet

Report: Raptors acquiring Brandon Ingram from Pelicans

Raptors no longer acquiring Kyle Anderson in Jimmy Butler deal