As impressive as Purdue’s 7-foot-4 behemoth Zach Edey has been during his NCAA tenure with the Boilermakers, leading them to the brink of a national championship on Monday night against Connecticut, there are more than a few differing opinions on how Edey shapes up as a draft prospect.
He is, no question, an excellent big man. But he is a slow-footed, in-the-paint style big man, the type that might have had success 30 years ago but who does not much fit in today’s NBA. Case in point: In four years of college basketball, he has shot two 3-pointers. That’s all.
Oh, and he does not defend the 3-point line, either. Edey has blocked 2.2 shots per game this season, but he can’t recover to the perimeter the way NBA big men need to in today’s game.
Yet, there is a sense that, if Edey lands with a consistent playoff team, he could be a very useful role player off the bench for a coach who wants to have a change-of-pace option with his second unit. The Celtics are said to be eyeing Edey, but they’re not alone.
Zach Edey Could Help a Contender
One Eastern Conference GM told Heavy Sports that contenders like the Celtics could see a rotation spot for a guy like Edey, who will be 22 in May. That means Edey is most likely looking at a spot late in the NBA draft. Boston would pick 30th.
“There’s not a lot of teams that could plug Zach Edey into their rotation and just be like, ‘OK, this works, this makes sense,” the GM told Heavy Sports. “That’s the tough thing about him in this draft. It is big upside draft, but he is kind of a finished product. If you’re Boston, you’re OK with that. They have had their eye on him all season.”
Edey obviously can score in the paint and rebound—he is averaging 24.9 points, 12.2 rebounds and shooting 62.5% from the field. But it is his flexibility that is intriguing about him in the NBA, and what should ensure he gets picked in the first round.
It could cause him to be a Top 20 pick. Miami could be a fit, at No. 15. That might be a stretch, though. Late teens is seen as Edey’s draft ceiling.
“He does all the little things well,” one Western Conference scout said. “He sets really good screens. He sees the floor, he handles double-teams. And he has done everything that has been asked of him there (at Purdue). He came off the bench, he was not getting plays called for him, all of that and he just did his job. That is going to matter when it comes to the NBA.”
NBA Draft Downsides Are Obvious
Ah but the downsides on Edey are obvious. He does not have the athleticism to anchor an NBA team in the middle, does not have a lot of upside as a starter.
“That’s the problem,” the scout said. “I think everyone likes the kid, knows what he can do. But it is hard to see where he is going to grow, where he is going to get better. There are big guys who do not shoot 3s—Mitchell Robinson, Jarrett Allen, (Ivica) Zubac—but that’s not the problem. The mobility is the problem.
“You need to be able to get up-and-down the floor. You can’t be an anchor on the fast break, you can’t weigh everything down. And defensively, it is not just running out and guarding 3-pointers. It is playing in space, getting run through screens over and over. It’s just too easy to pick him apart.”
So while late teens is his ceiling, Edey’s floor is much lower: the second round.
“I think he would be a waste of a first-round pick, to be honest,” the scout said. “He is a really good college player but in the NBA game, it is going to be hard to keep him on the floor.”
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Zach Edey’s NBA Draft Stock: Purdue Star Has Scouts Divided