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Zach Edey was the most dominant player in college hoops this past season. He controlled the paint with his 7-foot-4 frame. He averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 32 minutes. And he helped lead Purdue to the national championship game, where he scored 37 of the team’s 60 points in a loss to the UConn Huskies, who won back-to-back titles. Twenty years ago, the NBA world would be talking about Edey as the runaway favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick. But the game has changed significantly.
Traditional back-to-the-basket centers have been replaced with floor spacers who can handle the ball and knock down shots along the perimeter. So, the biggest question many teams will be facing on draft night is: Where does Zach Edey fit in this modern-day NBA game?
“For any team to draft Edey, they would have to change the way they play,” an NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. “Not necessarily to play around him, but he would become a secondary center off the bench to bring in rim protection and size. Is that worth a look in the first round? In this draft? Probably.”
At 7-4, Zach Edey is a presence in the paint. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Edey is confident he can break the mold and be a productive big in the NBA. He’s a smart player who can anchor a team’s defense with his 7-foot-11 wingspan and 9-foot-7 standing reach.
“Every team needs someone to hold down the paint,” Edey told reporters at the combine. “You need someone to grab rebounds, someone to block shots and finish lobs. Not everything has to be with me having the ball in my hands and in the post-up.”
Edey only made one 3-pointer his entire college career, and that’s definitely an area of development. But at the combine he actually shot at a pretty high rate in the spot-up drills and showed NBA scouts he can extend his game.
“Obviously at Purdue there were a lot of post-ups, but if you really watch the game, there’s plenty of ball screens, seals, hit the indirect and go back in, and that’s what they run in the NBA and that’s what I can bring to any team,” Edey said.
Defensively, though, is where he’ll be targeted. He won’t be able…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/2024-nba-draft-where-could-zach-edey-land-breaking-down-the-big-mans-fit-at-the-pro-level-151038033.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-06-19 15:10:38
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