Wembanyama, Zach Edey Duel Microcosm of 'Unique' Spurs-Grizzlies Rivalry

A few minutes into the contest, Edey made his first impression.

On back-to-back possessions, the Purdue product scored close to the rim: One over top of Wembanyama and the other off the glass. A few tries later, he joined the short list of players with a dunk over the Spurs' superstar.

The Grizzlies had the lead; Edey the momentum. Wembanyama looked lost, yet the Spurs remained confident. They also shouldered part of the blame.

"We've got to make it easier for him," said Vassell, who finished with 21 points. "It's tough playing against a defense that's set and loaded every time. We've got to figure out ways to help him out with that."

Wembanyama fell two blocks short of his fourth career triple-double after a stellar first-half defensive showing. The only catch with such a stat line was that he only notched 13 points — his fourth lowest this season — and the Spurs fell out of a close game by its conclusion.

"It was disappointing," Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said. "I thought he we had a good first half ... it's tough when a team that fast starts hitting shots."

Beyond his first few possessions, Edey wasn't as big a noisemaker as the trio of Grizzlies who finished north of 20 points (Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Santi Aldama), so he wasn't the spearhead for Memphis' late rally, but his size alone made for an intriguing matchup.

Taylor Jenkins was no exception to its allure.

"It's so unique," the Grizzlies coach said. "Both guys are different in their own rights. Wembanyama is having an unbelievable second season. He's one of the best players in the game. It's going to be that way for a very long time."

As for his own 7-foot giant? The praise went on.

"A lot of people can make their assumptions of what these guys are capable of or not," he said. "In our case, with Zach, I've seen so much growth from the guy. Everyone thinks he's just a one-way player on offense or defense, but I've seen so much versatility.

"That speaks to his work ethic, care factor and (his) want to impact winning. It's been phenomenal to work with a guy like that."

With 1:11 remaining in the first half, Wembanyama got a second chance.

Edey fell to the floor after a loose ball and despite Luke Kennard's best attempt to call a timeout, the Spurs' center tangled him up for a jump ball under Chris Paul's direction.

This time around, Wembanyama won the jump. The ball made its way into Julian Champagnie's hands and then to Paul, whose 3-pointer extended San Antonio's lead to seven points. By halftime, that grew to 12 and Wembanyama had secured his career high blocks in one half.

Despite the individual accolade, the Spurs couldn't hold on. As Johnson noted, they played fewer than 48 minutes. They failed at guarding one-on-one. The Grizzlies likely let them hear it, too.

"I'm excited to play them again," Vassell said, noting the trash talk between the Spurs and Grizzlies fell on the high end of the spectrum. "They're a good team, but we'll have the answer next time."

Whether it was Morant's dunk over Wembanyama after a play in the second half or the ensuing 7-foot duel between him and Edey, the Spurs found themselves in a heated match they fell on the wrong side of. But the latter, especially, was simply a microcosm.

The Spurs and Grizzlies, as young as they are, make up a budding rivalry.

It's seen in their "choice words," over-exaggerated celebrations and the intrinsic need to one-up the other, especially after a loss. Edey entered the game with a goal of making life difficult for Wembanyama, and Vassell left it ready for Round 2.

Though he couldn't help but throw a little shade.

"Nobody in the league can guard Vic," he said of the matchup between Wembanyama and Edey. "That's 100 percent. I'm excited to see how (he) bounces back from this game."

"He'll be better on Friday," Spurs rookie Stephon Castle added. "Just knowing Vic, I know this game is already over in his mind."

With the first of two straight games in the books, San Antonio now has its sights set on an impending "get back" win over Memphis. Wembanyama will look to have a more complete game, and Edey certainly wouldn't mind winning another tipoff — customary for a player his height.

The hope this time, however, is for no foul called.

"Let's play them again," Vassell said, "and then again and again and again. I'm excited. Trust me, I can't wait to play them again. As soon as that jump ball goes up, I know it's going to be a good one."