Purdue basketball’s Zach Edey at NBA combine
Zach Edey spoke to media members at the NBA combine. Hear everything Edey told reporters on Tuesday morning.
Zach Edey, Purdue basketball‘s two-time National Player of the Year, has risen from fringe NBA Draft prospect to potential lottery pick.
Evaluators like Edey’s shooting touch near the basket and rebounding ability, and he showed decent 3-point shooting touch at the NBA Scouting Combine. The biggest concern is a lack of speed that could be exposed on the defensive end as teams pick-and-roll to create mismatches.
Will he return to his Toronto roots? Will the Lakers take him, then pair him up with Bronny James? Will the Trail Blazers make him part of a rebuilding project? These are some of the possibilities.
‘Excited for his future’: How Purdue’s Zach Edey went from project to NBA Draft
Where will Zach Edey be drafted?
Krysten Peek, Yahoo: 19th, by the Raptors
Edey showed every scout and executive at the combine that he can hit 3s at a pretty consistent rate during the shooting drills. What’s most attractive is his size and the way he can anchor a defense, but teams will be cautious taking him, with opponents likely hunting him in screens every time down the court and drawing favorable mismatches. Edey could go as high as 14 to Portland, with many around the league anticipating the Toronto native being off the board by 20.
Andy Patton, College Sports Wire: 23rd, by the Bucks
Here Edey goes to Milwaukee where he serves as an eventual successor to Brook Lopez. Edey and Giannis may be a tough fit thanks to the lack of floor spacing, but Edey’s size, touch around the rim, and shot blocking will help the Bucks right away.
Sam Vecenie, The Athletic: 11th, by the Bulls
Edey appears to be rising up the board. It would be a surprise to see him get outside of the top 20. The Bulls should be in the market for a long-term answer at center; league sources have connected them with Clingan if they can trade up into his range. If the Bulls miss on him, Edey makes sense as a backup option, although it would be intriguing to see what they would do with this pick if the board fell this way. They’re an extremely difficult team to project right now due to the sheer number of moving parts with their roster, including DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball’s contract and health status, and their potential interest in trading Zach LaVine.
Bryan Kalbrosky, For The Win: 13th, by the Trail Blazers
Zach Edey was a two-time national college player of the year for a reason, proving himself absolutely indispensable and remarkably efficient on both ends of the floor.
He averaged 0.53 points per touch, via Stats Perform, which is the most of any player included on the latest consensus big board. Especially playing in shorter bursts rather than long minutes, Edey can potentially have a lot of success in the NBA.
Michael Scotto, Hoops Hype: 14th, by the Trail Blazers
Edey’s low-post scoring, rebounding, and shot blocking are unquestioned, but several NBA talent evaluators think he’ll be targeted defensively in pick-and-rolls and struggle to guard switches on the perimeter.
Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times: 19th, by the Raptors
Maybe it’s a little on the nose that Canada’s team would take a Canadian college basketball legend, but the Raptors are really thin in the frontcourt and Edey’s just a massive presence.
Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report: 17th, by the Lakers
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.
Kyle Boone, CBS Sports: 17th, by the Lakers
With JJ Redick in place as the coach and the Lakers seemingly locked in on bringing in Bronny later in the draft, L.A. signals its intentions to remain competitive around LeBron with a win-now piece in Zach Edey, who can be a depth piece at center right away. Edey is coming off back-to-back player of the year seasons at Purdue.
What nationality is Zach Edey?
He is from Canada.
What size shoe does Zach Edey wear?
20
When is the 2024 NBA draft? What channel is the NBA draft on?
First round: June 26 (Wednesday), 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN
Second round: June 27 (Thursday), 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
2024 NBA Draft order
First round
- Hawks
- Wizards
- Rockets (via Nets)
- Spurs
- Pistons
- Hornets
- Trail Blazers
- Spurs (via Raptors)
- Grizzlies
- Jazz
- Bulls
- Thunder
- Kings
- Trail Blazers (via Warriors)
- Heat
- 76ers
- Lakers
- Magic
- Raptors (via Pacers)
- Cavaliers
- Pelicans (via Bucks)
- Suns
- Bucks (via Pelicans)
- Knicks (via Mavericks)
- Knicks
- Wizards (via Clippers)
- Timberwolves
- Nuggets
- Jazz (via Thunder)
- Celtics
Second round
- (31 overall) Raptors (via Pistons)
- (32) Jazz (via Wizards)
- (33) Bucks (via Trail Blazers)
- (34) Trail Blazers (via Hornets)
- (35) Spurs
- (36) Pacers (via Raptors)
- (37) Timberwolves (via Grizzlies)
- (38) Knicks (via Jazz)
- (39) Grizzlies (via Nets)
- (40) Trail Blazers (via Hawks)
- (41) 76ers (via Bulls)
- (42) Hornets (via Rockets)
- (43) Heat
- (44) Rockets (via Warriors)
- (45) Kings
- (46) Clippers (via Pacers)
- (47) Magic
- (48) Spurs (via Lakers)
- (49) Pacers (via Cavaliers)
- (50) Pacers (via Pelicans)
- (52) Wizards (via Suns)
- (52) Warriors (via Bucks)
- (53) Pistons (via Knicks)
- (54) Celtics (via Mavericks)
- (55) Lakers (via Clippers)
- (56) Nuggets (via Timberwolves)
- (57) Grizzlies (via Thunder)
- (58) Mavericks (via Celtics)