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All eyes are on the Los Angeles Lakers and how the front office will improve the team’s roster for new head coach JJ Redick. The first order of business is the 2024 NBA draft where the Lakers hold the No. 17 pick.
Los Angeles could look to package this selection along with future first rounders in a trade to land another key player. One name that may prompt the Lakers to keep the pick is if Purdue star center Zach Edey is on the board.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley is predicting just that in his latest mock draft. The analyst has the Lakers selecting the two-time Player of the Year with the No. 17 pick.
“The Lakers followed the double-big model to championship success during the 2019-20 season,” Buckley wrote in a June 21, 2024 article titled, “2024 NBA Mock Draft with 5 Trades In Round 1.” “They could be angling to try that option again, as SNY.tv’s Ian Begley reported they are ‘closely monitoring potential center additions this offseason both through the NBA draft and free agency.’
“If L.A. wants size, no prospect offers more of that than the 7’4″, 299-pound Edey. While it’s unclear how much value he’ll add on the perimeter at either end, he’ll gobble up rebounds, protect the paint and torch defenders in the post.”
The Lakers Landing Zach Edey in the 2024 NBA Draft Could Allow Anthony Davis to Play More Power Forward
The Athletic’s Shams Charania revealed that Redick’s first order of business was meeting with Anthony Davis. The star big man has made no secret about his preference to play power forward instead of center.
Adding Edey would allow Davis to play more minutes at power forward. Questions surround Edey’s fit at the NBA level given the center is at his best with his back to the basket.
Edey did not display long range shooting ability at Purdue, but did show off this aspect of his game at the NBA combine. The big man produced more than any other player in college basketball in recent seasons. Edey averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2 assists per game in 39 starts for Purdue in 2023-24.
Potential Lakers Target Zach Edey Is a Back-to-Back Player of the Year Award Winner
The challenge for the Lakers is Edey could be a legitimate lottery pick and unavailable by the time the team is on the clock at No. 17. The Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike reported that Los Angeles plans to host Edey for a pre-draft workout.
Los Angeles’ interest in Edey appears to be legitimate heading into the draft. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have Edey as their No. 16 ranked prospect.
“Edey was the most dominant player in college basketball over the past two seasons, winning back-to-back John R. Wooden Awards,” Givony and Woo noted in a June 21 story titled, “2024 NBA draft rankings: Jonathan Givony’s top 100 prospects.” “He plays with the mean streak to take advantage of his rare physical tools. What kind of answers he can find defending in pick-and-roll will dictate just how smooth his transition will be to the NBA.”
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