Jamie Squire/Getty Images
(Purdue: Center, Senior, 7-4)
Current rank: 21 / Previous rank: 27 (+6) / Best rank: 15 / Worst rank: NR
Zach Edey has been one of the most polarizing prospects in the draft despite becoming the first player in NCAA history with 800 points, 400 rebounds, 50 blocks, and 50 assists in a single season.
Following a trip to the NCAA championship game against UConn, Edey is knocking on the door of becoming a Top 20 pick.
“If Zach Edey is not a lottery pick and a tremendous NBA player, then there’s something wrong with the NBA,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said on The Herd. “Then they’re maybe not playing the right game at that level. This guy has been dominant and brings you back to Ralph Sampson, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson types of performances. The kid’s a special player. Special players, when they go to the next level, add new skills quickly. I think he’s going to get to the NBA and increase his range in his shooting, his passing, and dribbling, and he’ll adapt. That’s what special players do.”
Edey thrives in the low post, scoring with a hook shot from either hand, and can sink free throws when he’s fouled by smaller defenders. Edey’s foul shooting also gives some executives hope that he can eventually extend his shooting range.
You won’t find many shot blockers better than Edey down low, but his size and strength are also a liability in pick-and-roll coverage on the perimeter, where smaller and quicker guards can expose his lack of foot speed.
Edey’s No. 21 overall projection is his highest ranking in the HoopsHype aggregate mock draft to date, and – despite his old-school style of play that’s made him somewhat of a polarizing prospect – there are enough NBA talent evaluators who believe he can be an NBA role player at worst, which could make him a first-round pick in this weak overall draft class.
“You look at Clingan and Edey among the traditional bigs in this draft,” an NBA executive told HoopsHype. “At the same age as Clingan, Edey was averaging the same production and looked the same way in terms of how he moved. Over the next two years, Edey developed and got stronger while playing more physically. He made more shots in the paint and knew where his outlets were.”
