The Grizzlies' Zach Edey was fouled in historic fashion in his NBA debut

After a strong preseason with the Memphis Grizzlies, rookie Zach Edey had a rather difficult debut on Wednesday with a 126:124 away win against the Utah Jazz.

Edey, who started the contest, struggled to stay out of foul trouble and only managed 14 minutes and 44 seconds of action time. He finished the game with five points and six rebounds on 2 of 4 shooting from the field before picking up a foul with just over nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

The ninth pick was whistled three times in the first half and again at the start of the third quarter, limiting him to seven minutes in the second half. According to OptaSTATS, he is the only player since the merger to start his debut and commit a foul after less than 15 minutes.

Edey averaged 12.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, one assist and one block on 50% shooting from the field in five preseason appearances with the Grizzlies. He ranked fourth among rookie players in total points (61) and was second in rebounds (36) this preseason.

The 7-footer looked like a lottery pick and had dominant stretches in the paint due to his size and near-automatic hook shot, prompting Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett to call him “Zach Alcindor,” a reference to Kareem Abdul Jabbar. who was previously known as Lew Alcindor.

Edey cemented his place as a starting player after shining in preseason. However, Wednesday showed that the transition from preseason to regular season can be difficult and Edey will have to make adjustments to stay on the field going forward.

This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Grizzlies news: Zach Edey fouled out in historic fashion in NBA debut