The Memphis Grizzlies entered their Saturday night matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers with a focus on minimizing the Sixers’ ability to grab offensive rebounds. Rookie big man Zach Edey should play a big role in his team’s success there.

On a personal level, Edey took an important step in his career for the first time.

“We knew coming in that it was an offensive team that bounced back,” Edey told a reporter following the match. “They were second in the league. It’s a big part of their offense. … We came in with this mentality to eliminate that.

Edey started and played 22 minutes for the Grizzlies on Saturday night. On the glass, it went down with ten bounces. Five of them came while the Grizzlies were on defense.

Facing a Sixers team without Joel Embiid, Memphis focused on Andre Drummond, who earned his fifth straight start Saturday night. The Grizzlies kept Drummond, one of the best rebounders in the NBA currently, from reaching double figures in that department.

Offensively, Edey made seven shots from the field, collecting four successes. He made both free throws to score two points. The Grizzlies rookie finished with ten points, ten rebounds, a steal and a block.

The ninth overall pick has big expectations to meet in Memphis. Landing a role in the starting lineup was a step in the right direction for Edey. His production so far through seven games has shown Memphis plenty of promise for its young star in the making.

In seven games, Edey averaged nine points on 58 percent shooting from the field. He also averages six rebounds per game in just 18 minutes of action.