Is Zach Edey a men’s college basketball GOAT? What Purdue coach says.
“When you look at his numbers against the greats, there’s no question, he’s in the conversation.”
That was a surprise.
The Memphis Grizzlies selected Purdue basketball‘s Zach Edey at No. 9 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. The 7-4 center vaulted from a fringe draft prospect to the top 10 after winning two National Player of the Year awards and leading the Boilermakers to the 2024 national championship game. However, he’s a traditional post player in a modern game that has less room for that.
Is the pick a reach? Opinions vary.
NBA Draft grades for Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
CBS Sports: B
This is a pick where beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Nobody cares what Edey did in college in terms of Edey’s decorated trophy case. But they do care about your rate of improvement − and Edey improved every single year. He’s massive, so big that it can actually hurt him on defense because he will be attacked on ball screens. But he’s massive, he’s a worker and he’s improving every single day. And he fits: Edey is the best screener in the draft, and Ja Morant loves running a pick-and-roll.
This is high for Edey, but it’s also understandable. Make no mistake, Edey was a generational college player and he is more than just big. But he is truly enormous. His rebounding, screen setting, hands, and finishing near the rim are tremendous. The big question is how he’ll translate to the NBA, particularly when asked to defend in space against NBA athletes. Memphis also tends to play fast, which Edey may not be suited for, but the Grizzlies clearly wanted a center and they got one.
Ricky O’Donnell, SB Nation: B+
What a pick by Memphis. Edey is legitimately one of the most productive college basketball players ever. At 7-4 with a 7-10 wingspan and 300 pound frame, Edey is an absolute giant who can score inside with soft touch and crush the offensive glass. His conditioning is phenomenal for a player his size, but he lacks mobility and the defensive coverage versatility that comes with it. Putting him next to a more mobile big man in Jaren Jackson Jr. should be a mutually beneficial pairing. Edey will be able to provide a lot of what Memphis lost with Steven Adams while adding a lot more scoring. This is a fascinating pick, and I respect the vision by Memphis.
Zach Buckley, Bleacher Report: C-
He is a good mover for his size, but his movements are heavy by NBA standards. Can he defend in space? Can he make enough jumpers to not be left alone away from the basket? If he adds enough value on the perimeter to not be schemed off the floor, he could be an asset given his interior activity, post skill and sheer size.
Memphis might have just come out of a draft that no one seemed to love with a new starting center, but it also may have spent a top-10 pick on someone who gets schemed off the floor in the playoffs. Stay tuned.
Edey will help what was the second-worst shooting team in the league from inside the arc last year and Jaren Jackson Jr. eases concerns on defense. But this seems a bit high given the glut of wings who could help the team alongside the guard corps of Ja Morant, Marucs Smart, and Desmond Bane.
Big Dawg. The Big Butter Tart. The Notorious TTC. (Don’t mind me, just workshopping here.) Edey needs no introduction. The back-to-back national college player of the year is almost larger than life, and the latest test case for how much mileage a modern NBA team can get out of a historically dominant offensive giant in one of the fastest eras of basketball. The only player taller and with a longer wingspan than Edey is Victor Wembanyama — and he’s nearly 100 pounds lighter. Memphis needed a big man in the worst way — it seemed likely that it’d trade up to land a dominant anchor like Clingan. Instead, the Grizzlies go even bigger, albeit with a more difficult projection. There will always be concerns about how Edey fares defending in space, but a player of his size, skill, and touch ought to be able to produce in small, concentrated bursts off the bench at the very least. We will be watching with great interest.
Kyle Irving, Sporting News: C-
The Grizzlies have made a major reach for Edey inside the top 10.
Memphis does need a center after trading Steven Adams to the Rockets last season but Edey felt attainable much later in the draft. This isn’t a knock on Edey as an NBA prospect — he made strides to improve weaknesses like his conditioning and mobility — but he still has clear limitations beyond scoring right at the rim.