Zach Edey 2024 NBA Draft Profile
Zach Edey is probably the most polarizing prospect heading into the 2024 NBA Draft. Today, we’re going to go through the entire draft profile on the Purdue big man. Can Edey make an impact at the NBA level? Enjoy his scouting report!
Height: 7’3.75″ (7’10.75″ wingspan, 9’7″ standing reach)
Weight: 299
Age: Turned 22 in May
Position: Center
Edey, the Toronto, Ontario native, was a three star recruit according to 247 coming out of high school. Edey obviously spent a lot of time in college developing his craft. The improvements were noticeable after leading Purdue all the way to the National Title game this past year.
Edey ended his collegiate career averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, two assists, and 2.2 blocks per game. That’s while converting 62.3% of his field goal attempts and 71.1% at the free throw line. He basically cleaned house in terms of accolades in each of the last two seasons.
Strengths:
Size? Duh!
Edey is really good at being big. I’m not sure if it’s a skill or a gift but it doesn’t really matter. The guy is a total load and he is a problem to deal with. It’s not just the scoring ability. It’s the pressure he puts on your entire frontcourt.
The guy gets fouled on every single play. It’s a matter of how the refs are going to handle each game. Still, Edey is a guy that could get the opposition’s frontcourt in foul trouble and that stuff just has a trickle-down effect on the entire game.
We know what Edey is going to do. He’s a screen setting while he rolls to the dunker spot. Even if the initial shot doesn’t go in, good luck boxing him out. You can’t teach that kind of height in terms of grabbing second chance rebounds. He’s gotten really good at finishing around the rim too. Plus, his free throw rate is respectable enough to where you don’t feel like he can’t be on the floor.
Edey scored 14.3 points per game in the post. That mark was number one in the country by a wide margin. He’s better going left but can score the ball with both hands. Edey converted an insane 75% of his attempts at the rim. That’s cash money right there.
He also protects the rim pretty well while staying out of foul trouble. Edey only averaged two fouls committed per game over the course of his career. That tells me he has self awareness and real skill outside of being really tall.
Weaknesses:
Pace and space. You’re never asking this guy to stretch the floor and hit 3’s. That part was obvious but you have to dig deeper than that.
Here are two wild stats:
Edey scored ZERO career points in transition. Literally zero and that’s a real number. Teams that like to get out and run, Edey will not be a participant in that style of play.
He also has a block percentage of 6.9%. For his size, you would think that number would be higher. While the size is obvious, he hasn’t exactly been an uber-dominant rim protector. He’s also going to struggle being involved in pick-and-roll actions. It’s no secret that Edey is a clunky mover.
The questions about Edey transitioning to the NBA level are real in the sense that we have no idea if he can keep up with the pace of the game. He’s a dinosaur playing in a different era of basketball. The NBA is not a game where you just dump it down to the post over and over again anymore.
Projection: Late First Round
If Luke Kornet can carve out a role in the NBA, I don’t see why Edey can’t. He clearly has a unique skill set that can’t be taught. Even if it’s at 10-15 minutes a night, Edey brings something to the table. He should hear his name called somewhere in the back half of the first round.
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