SAN ANTONIO — Zach Edey didn’t start off playing organized basketball at an early age like most NBA players. Because of that, he doesn’t go into many matchups with a fan’s perspective of watching someone he grew up watching closely, or many opposing players in general.

But Wednesday’s matchup against the San Antonio Spurs will be a little different. The 7-foot-4 Memphis Grizzlies rookie will be matched up against San Antonio’s 7-3 phenom, Victor Wembanyama.

“He’s probably the only other dude in the NBA I can look eye-to-eye with,” Edey said. “Definitely looking forward to this one.”

Wembanyama is in his second NBA season and has helped turned the Spurs (19-19) into a Western Conference contender. He is averaging 25.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and a league-leading 3.9 blocks per game.

Edey is gradually growing into a larger role in Memphis as he adjusts to the speed and philosophical changes of the NBA. He’s averaging 9.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

Height won’t be a major advantage for Edey or Wembanyama in their matchup. For Edey, he’s looking forward to seeing Wembanyama’s skillset and having a chance to go against that.

Wembanyama averages 9.2 3-point attempts per game, which is nearly half of his 18.9 field goal attempts.

Wednesday will be the first of potentially two battles of the giants. Memphis and San Antonio will also play again on Friday (8:30 p.m., ESPN).

Edey may be looking forward to the unique challenge of going against Wembanyama, but his approach is strictly business.

“It’s the same way I prepare for every matchup,” Edey said. “Read the scouting report, know the gameplan, know what we want to get him to, know what types of shots we want to get him to and actions we want to stay away from. Just try to limit the easy ones and make life difficult for him.”

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.