Zach Edey, Scotty Pippen Jr. off to promising starts in Grizzlies summer league debut vs Jazz

The first Memphis Grizzlies summer league test was a notable one. They lined up against a Utah Jazz team that featured four players in the starting lineup with NBA experience and a top-10 draft pick.

Memphis also had an experienced group, however, and that made for a good matchup in the Salt Lake City Summer League game Monday night at Delta Center.

With the Grizzlies down by two, rookie first-round draft pick Zach Edey missed an open putback dunk attempt, but the 7-foot-4 center made up for it by forcing overtime with a putback layup with 0.2 seconds remaining.

Tied at 90, they played to a target score of 97 in overtime, per summer league rules. With the score tied at 95-95, guard Keyonte George knocked down two free throws to seal a 97-95 Utah win.

Scotty Pippen Jr. led the Grizzlies with 21 points. George led all scorers with 30.

Here are three takeaways from the Grizzlies' summer league opener.

Zach Edey, rookie Grizzlies stats

Edey's first NBA test was against a former first-round pick, Walker Kessler, who has been impressive in his first two seasons with the Jazz. Kessler's 2.4 blocks per game in the past two seasons is second-best in the NBA.

Edey held his own and did a lot of what the Grizzlies needed to see in his debut. He set bruising screens to create space for his teammates, finished baskets around the rim, rebounded and altered shots on defense. Edey ended with 14 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks.

Second-round rookie Jaylen Wells struggled with his shooting (1-for-9, two points) in his debut, but the same can't be said for Cam Spencer. The 6-3 shooting guard scored 11 points off the bench, was 3-for-5 on 3-pointers and provided a spark in the fourth quarter.

Scotty Pippen Jr. applying two-way pressure

Scotty Pippen Jr. is on a two-way contract for the time being, but that probably won't be the case by the end of the upcoming season. The Grizzlies point guard applied relentless pressure on defense by picking up George near half-court on most possessions. George finished with 30 points, but he shot only 5-for-21.

Offensively, Pippen controlled the pace smoothly and got teammates involved. He scored, facilitated and played strong defense, building on his performance at the end of last season. He finished with 21 points, five assists and three steals.

Jake LaRavia shows experience

Jake LaRavia and GG Jackson were two of the most experienced Grizzlies players on the floor. Jackson didn't have the most efficient game. He was confident and didn't hesitate on scoring opportunities, but Memphis needs better efficiency from the NBA All-Rookie forward. Jackson shot 6-for-20 and scored 16 points.

LaRavia, in his third season with the Grizzlies, was a consistent offensive weapon Monday, getting to his spots and taking rhythm shots. That wasn't always the case earlier in his tenure with the team.

He had a big steal in the final three minutes of regulation and had multiple possessions down the stretch of good individual defense. He finished the game with 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.