Zach Edey MONSTER 30 points and 21 rebounds performance in March Madness first round

First player since 1995 to record 30+ points and 20+ rebounds in an NCAA tournament game.

Memphis should be all over this guy to replace Steven Adams. He plays just like prime Orlando Dwight Howard on offense. The way Purdue runs that four-out with Edey rolling and sealing in the paint is reminiscent of those Stan Van Gundy teams.

He's bigger, longer, and stronger than Dwight. Less athletic and mobile, but he can hit free throws and is more reliable in post-up isolation situations. And he has the tools to be an effective defender in drop coverage. His 3/4 court sprint and lane agility times are better than Brook Lopez, Steven Adams, DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gobert, etc.

This is the third thread I've made about him. It's crazy to me how so many are writing him off as an NBA prospect. I think he's going to be a valuable backup big at worst. And I think he could be a very good starter if he plays for a coach and team that values the type of player he is.

If the league sticks with how it has been officiating things recently? And he plays for a slower-paced half-court team with enough shooting and a commitment to him? 16-20 ppg, 10-15 rpg, 1-2 apg, 1.5-2.5 bpg on 60-65%+ FG and 70-75% FT. Extremely high free-throw rate; teams would have to get a big body just to check him.

Rudy Gobert is smaller and doesn't have a lick of Edey's post-up game and touch and he's been good for 14.5 ppg and 12.9 rpg since 2016-17. But obviously, he's out there for his defense. But if Steven Adams, Zubac, Nurkic, and co. are out there, Zach can be too. He may even be a Lopez-level drop big. Who knows...

He won't be the superstar that leads a team to a championship, but he can be a guy that turns around a franchise. Or at least kickstarts that process. Gets them actually competing for a playoff spot.

So many of these lottery-bound teams draft floaty guards and forwards who have pretty projections and potential and fit the "modern" archetypes. But do nothing but accumulate stats and have no impact on winning let alone culture.

If I was Washington, I'd be all over Edey. Trade down to get two picks and see if I can snag him in the middle of the first round. He can be that big rock inside that sets the tone physically. Does the dirty work setting screens, finishing plays in the paint, and crashing the boards. Gets them playing a respectable brand of basketball.

[video=youtube;h42nyVPnfpA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h42nyVPnfpA&ab_channel=MarchMadness[/video]

I don’t know man. He’s really slow.

He moved better in the combine tests than many NBA centers despite outweighing all of them, from 20 pounds to as much as like 80. Now that doesn't guarantee mobility in-game but it at least gives him a great shot to be. He was 306.4 pounds when he did those tests. He's like 290 now I think.

[QUOTE]Zach Edey 2023 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.37 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.45 seconds

Steven Adams 2014 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.85 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.40 seconds

Rudy Gobert 2014 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 12.85 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.57 seconds

Brook Lopez 2009 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 12.77 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.57 seconds

DeMarcus Cousins 2011 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.40 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.55 seconds

Hassan Whiteside 2011 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.83 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.54 seconds

Nikola Vucevic 2012 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 12.02 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.27 seconds

Bobby Portis 2016 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.78 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.56 seconds

Bam Adebayo 2018 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.94 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.24 seconds

Nicolas Claxton 2020 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.26 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.36 seconds

Xavier Tillman Sr 2021 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.80 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.49 seconds

To compare Edey to a true plodding Giant, check out Tacko Fall's numbers:

Tacko Fall 2020 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 13.01 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.78 seconds

When it comes to mobility, Zach is much more like Adams, Lopez, and Gobert. And that was at 306 pounds a year ago. He dropped like 15 pounds and has been noticeably more mobile this season.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Im Still Ballin;14894178]He moved better in the combine tests than many NBA centers despite outweighing all of them, from 20 pounds to as much as like 80. Now that doesn't guarantee mobility in-game but it at least gives him a great shot to be. He was 306.4 pounds when he did those tests. He's like 290 now I think.[/QUOTE]

That’s pretty surprising tbh. He looks a lot slower but I will accept that since I haven’t watched a ton of games from him. He’s ****ing weirdly huge.

Combine stats mean nothing in the NBA

Westbrook has middling numbers at the combine but he was one of the most electric athletes EVER for the point guard position. That white guy from North Carolina years and years ago had better combine than Amare, one of the best athletes ever for the PF spot.

Just watch the dude play. He's slow.

He will be a good backup I think, but to make three threads about a future backup center is wild
Calm your tits

It all depends if he can provide elite rim protection at the next level. Otherwise his goofy ass will need to learn Chinese.

Can we pump the brakes on hyping performances against a 16 seed :lol

Boban would do 25/14 right now if you play him 30 minutes and ignore he’s slow and can’t switch or show and recover. They won’t. Thats about all the breakdown guys like this require these days. A tanking team might put them out there for the **** of it for 18 minutes, but serious teams intent on playing a style they will believe translates to the playoffs are never going to play this type of person these days.

Boban isn't the best comparison because Zach is much more mobile. He's got the size of Boban with athleticism more in the ballpark of Steven Adams, Ivica Zubac, Rudy Gobert, and Brook Lopez. He just doesn't look like it because he's so much bigger so it's odd and his strides are huge. He covers more ground in a single step; looks like he's moving slower but he's not.

Athletically, Marjanovic has more in common with Tacko Fall and there's a clear difference in how those two get down and move around the court compared to Zach.

[QUOTE=warriorfan;14894179]That’s pretty surprising tbh. He looks a lot slower but I will accept that since I haven’t watched a ton of games from him. He’s ****ing weirdly huge.[/QUOTE]

I watched him one full game and that was enough for me to lose interest. He was so passive protecting the rim it was embarrasing.

Edey's low steal and foul rate are signs of how passive he is on D. He literally has the lowest steal rate of any draft prospect in either round.

[QUOTE=Carbine;14894183]Combine stats mean nothing in the NBA

Westbrook has middling numbers at the combine but he was one of the most electric athletes EVER for the point guard position. That white guy from North Carolina years and years ago had better combine than Amare, one of the best athletes ever for the PF spot.

Just watch the dude play. He's slow.

He will be a good backup I think, but to make three threads about a future backup center is wild
Calm your tits[/QUOTE]

Sure, there are exceptions; guys have bad combine showings for any number of reasons. But on average the more athletic players tend to perform better in those tests. If they didn't mean anything they wouldn't do them.

He's going to win NPOY and join Ralph Sampson and Bill Walton as the only guys to ever win the award more than once. He already won the Sporting News version, joining the likes of Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Bill Walton, Jerry Lucas, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Bradley, and Luka Garza (LOL).

I think he's worth multiple threads.

[QUOTE=tontoz;14894201]I watched him one full game and that was enough for me to lose interest. He was so passive protecting the rim it was embarrasing.

Edey's low steal and foul rate are signs of how passive he is on D. He literally has the lowest steal rate of any draft prospect in either round.[/QUOTE]

Steal rate isn't something you'd be looking for in a 7'4" center who'll be playing drop coverage 100% of the time. He's just not that guy (obviously) and that's fine. Low foul rate can also be seen as a positive trait.

[QUOTE=Im Still Ballin;14894207]Sure, there are exceptions; guys have bad combine showings for any number of reasons. But on average the more athletic players tend to perform better in those tests. If they didn't mean anything they wouldn't do them.

He's going to win NPOY and join Ralph Sampson and Bill Walton as the only guys to ever win the award more than once. He already won the Sporting News version, joining the likes of Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Bill Walton, Jerry Lucas, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Bradley, and Luka Garza (LOL).

I think he's worth multiple threads.



Steal rate isn't something you'd be looking for in a 7'4" center who'll be playing drop coverage 100% of the time. He's just not that guy (obviously) and that's fine. Low foul rate can also be seen as a positive trait.[/QUOTE]


How many games have you actually watched him play?

[QUOTE=Im Still Ballin;14894200]Boban isn't the best comparison because Zach is much more mobile. He's got the size of Boban with athleticism more in the ballpark of Steven Adams, Ivica Zubac, Rudy Gobert, and Brook Lopez. He just doesn't look like it because he's so much bigger so it's odd and his strides are huge. He covers more ground in a single step; looks like he's moving slower but he's not.

Athletically, Marjanovic has more in common with Tacko Fall and there's a clear difference in how those two get down and move around the court compared to Zach.[/QUOTE]

this is one of those things where you’re just gonna have to wait and see Something you’ll realize was incredibly obvious in retrospect. I suppose it’s conceivable some coach comes out and decides that on his team it’s 1982 and he can play a brutally slow giant, who bogs down his offense even while being efficient, but very little is going on to suggest that’s about to happen.

do I hope it does, if only to see some variety? Sure. But I’m just shy of bet my life positive that it won’t. I can’t be 100% because you never know. Some Owner might want to be a smart ass and hire Dick Vitale to run his 70s Pistons offense as a means of tanking. But….i don’t see it.

I think you’re at the wishful thinking point of fan hood where the sobering reality of what they want the game to be has not set in. I’m not judging you. I thought Sean may was going to be something. I had a brief affair with Greg Monroe later. I was even keeping a folder on Jahlil Okafor for a minute. So I get it.

It just isn’t gonna happen.

he is a less skilled Boban who moves 6.6mph instead of 5.9. He’d kill small ball if a team wanted to abandon its offense to let him at the same time they threw out the defensive scheme. But unless some coach has a fantasy league with $1 million buy in where he manage to take dude in the last round as a dark horse, I just don’t think you’re gonna see much of him in a league with stretch bigs all over the place.

Imagine the pacers trying to slow down and wait for him to setup in the halfcourt.

There are too many teams he’d totally break just by being on the floor. Get a good look at him now. He’s probably going to Poland.

[QUOTE=Kblaze8855;14894228]this is one of those things where you’re just gonna have to wait and see Something you’ll realize was incredibly obvious in retrospect. I suppose it’s conceivable some coach comes out and decides that on his team it’s 1982 and he can play a brutally slow giant, who bogs down his offense even while being efficient, but very little is going on to suggest that’s about to happen.

do I hope it does, if only to see some variety? Sure. But I’m just shy of bet my life positive that it won’t. I can’t be 100% because you never know. Some Owner might want to be a smart ass and hire Dick Vitale to run his 70s Pistons offense as a means of tanking. But….i don’t see it.

I think you’re at the wishful thinking point of fan hood where the sobering reality of what they want the game to be has not set in. I’m not judging you. I thought Sean may was going to be something. I had a brief affair with Greg Monroe later. I was even keeping a folder on Jahlil Okafor for a minute. So I get it.

It just isn’t gonna happen.

he is a less skilled Boban who moves 6.6mph instead of 5.9. He’d kill small ball if a team wanted to abandon its offense to let him at the same time they threw out the defensive scheme. But unless some coach has a fantasy league with $1 million buy in where he manage to take dude in the last round as a dark horse, I just don’t think you’re gonna see much of him in a league with stretch bigs all over the place.

Imagine the pacers trying to slow down and wait for him to setup in the halfcourt.

There are too many teams he’d totally break just by being on the floor. Get a good look at him now. He’s probably going to Poland.[/QUOTE]

You may be right. We'll see. If he succeeds at the NBA level, it'll be more as a roller which he's actually really good at. Scored at 1.54 ppp as the PnR roll man which was in the 94th percentile in NCAA D1. Was like 100th percentile last year.

Some examples:

[img]https://i.ibb.co/MpBhxfS/8ks1tf.gif[/img]
[img]https://i.ibb.co/hcS1Qqc/8ks32q.gif[/img]
[img]https://i.ibb.co/XWfjnvT/8ks39s.gif[/img]

Also, Jahlil Okafor scored at 0.93 ppp from the post in his lone college season. Zach is up around 1.05 ppp and on much greater volume and facing automatic doubles and triples. More defensive attention than anyone in the college game in a long time. Boban and Okafor are more fluid and skilled but Zach's bully ball is just superior IMO. His foul-drawing rate is just crazy.

thats Zubac

Zach is undeniably more mobile than Brook Lopez, let alone a handful of starting and backup centers in the NBA right now. I can continue to reference combine numbers but I'll just post this GIF:

[img]https://i.ibb.co/TY5VzjF/8l4cdh.gif[/img]

Can you nitpick aspects of his defense? Sure. But you can do that for a lot of centers in the NBA. And how Zach is playing for Purdue isn't 100% indicative of how he will on an NBA team. He's being asked to shoulder an incredibly large offensive burden and is more concerned with not getting fouled out or gassing out than contesting every possible shot.

Four rounds into the NCAA tournament, Zach is averaging 30.0 ppg, 16.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.8 bpg, 2.0 topg, shooting 65.6% FG and 66.9% TS in 34 minutes per game.

[video=youtube;9kQULUo4Ho0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kQULUo4Ho0&pp=ygUJemFjaCBlZGV5[/video]

[video=youtube;bmwEc3CuBQQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmwEc3CuBQQ&pp=ygURemFjaCBlZGV5IGdvbnphZ2E%3D[/video]

[video=youtube;LVNJEIZltC8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVNJEIZltC8&pp=ygUTemFjaCBlZGV5IHRlbm5lc3NlZQ%3D%3D[/video]

[QUOTE=tontoz;14894201]I watched him one full game and that was enough for me to lose interest. He was so passive protecting the rim it was embarrasing.

Edey's low steal and foul rate are signs of how passive he is on D. He literally has the lowest steal rate of any draft prospect in either round.[/QUOTE]

I think a lot of that can be attributed to how important it is that he stay on the floor as much as possible. Purdue relies so heavily on him that if he gets into foul trouble then they’re hurting.

I would imagine the coaches tell him not to take unnecessary chances on defense.

[QUOTE=ShawkFactory;14896040]I think a lot of that can be attributed to how important it is that he stay on the floor as much as possible. Purdue relies so heavily on him that if he gets into foul trouble then they’re hurting.

I would imagine the coaches tell him not to take unnecessary chances on defense.[/QUOTE]

Totally agree with you. Saw many times where he couldve tried to block a shot or a reach in but chose not to because he was probably instructed not to take dumb, silly chance fouls.


First player since Oscar in 1960 to lead the nation in scoring while also getting to the final 4

[QUOTE=ShawkFactory;14896040]I think a lot of that can be attributed to how important it is that he stay on the floor as much as possible. Purdue relies so heavily on him that if he gets into foul trouble then they’re hurting.

I would imagine the coaches tell him not to take unnecessary chances on defense.[/QUOTE]


The first half against Gonzaga his defense was so lame even the announcers were commenting on it. If he has to take more than a step to contest a shot it isn't happening. No thanks.

He only averages 2.5 fouls per 40 minutes so he could be a lot more aggressive without worrying about foul trouble.

[QUOTE=tontoz;14896049]The first half against Gonzaga his defense was so lame even the announcers were commenting on it. If he has to take more than a step to contest a shot it isn't happening. No thanks.

He only averages 2.5 fouls per 40 minutes so he could be a lot more aggressive without worrying about foul trouble.[/QUOTE]

Again, whatever it is that they're doing is working. If they can still hold teams the way they do, keep him on the court, and win ball games then why ask him to play more aggressively on D?

[QUOTE=ShawkFactory;14896097]Again, whatever it is that they're doing is working. If they can still hold teams the way they do, keep him on the court, and win ball games then why ask him to play more aggressively on D?[/QUOTE]

I don't think he actually can protect the rim effectively. You are giving him a pass on the assumption that the coaches are telling him not to contest shots near the rim which is pretty ridiculous. Protecting the rim is typically the top priority of every defense.

Winning in college doesn't mean crap to me. It doesn't seem to matter to the mock drafts either.

He's going to have a good career overseas.

Or a forgotten career in the NBA.

Edey's defense from the first half vs Gonzaga.

[video=youtube_share;S4uI3HY1ZW4]https://youtu.be/S4uI3HY1ZW4?feature=shared[/video]

[video=youtube_share;alKkPc8MZgc]https://youtu.be/alKkPc8MZgc?feature=shared[/video]

[video=youtube_share;7l8vP3Yswgo]https://youtu.be/7l8vP3Yswgo?feature=shared[/video]

The Canadian Yao :rockon:

it's like watching Sidney Crosby not using his stick and just tries to muscle and score.

A skillset suitable for 90s ball. Not impressed.

I see :

85% Ivica Zubac
15% Yao Ming

I hear a lot of younger high school & early 20’s dudes, confidently proclaim he isn’t an NBA player, one of them to his credit said Zach would be a good euroleague player. That’s very true.

But I’m not convinced there isn’t a team who wants to incorporate a player like this onto their rotation.
He’s not some incompetent, uncoachable ret@rd.
And dude can manhandle many current NBA bigs, and set insanely great screens.

[QUOTE=BarberSchool;14896529]

But I’m not convinced there isn’t a team who wants to incorporate a player like this onto their rotation.
He’s not some incompetent, uncoachable ret@rd.
And dude can manhandle many current NBA bigs, and set insanely great screens.[/QUOTE]

how about this, we'll let Zach be your personal physical training coach and guru. And every time you can't lose body fat or gain muscle, you'll sleep in a doggy cage and post those pictures on social media.

let me guess, you just pooped and piss your pants because Zach banging your loose a-hole to help you lose weight probably isn't gonna pass this test.

odd a guy who can't even work at McDonalds got a gimmick called BarberSchool

He should develop into an Aaron Gordon type...I don't think he's going to win you a title on his own but he should have a roster spot in the next level.

[url]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/1774589213159170393[/url]

[QUOTE]Zach Edey's 40 points will draw headlines, but his defensive impact was most notable from an NBA standpoint. Helped hold Tennessee to 7 made half-court 2s, stepping outside the paint with impressive mobility and showing excellent timing contesting shots with his 7'10 wingspan.[/QUOTE]

Zach ranked 13th on ESPN's latest mock draft from Givony and Woo.

[QUOTE]Edey put forth one of the best performances in NCAA tournament history while leading Purdue to the Final Four behind the first 40-point, 15-rebound performance since Bo Kimble did so in 1990. This was a career-high scoring effort for Edey in the most important game of his college career.

Perhaps more important (and more notable from an NBA standpoint) was the way Edey shut down the paint, helping hold Tennessee to just seven made 2-pointers in the half court all game. He did an outstanding job of bothering shots with his length, coming up with several impressive possessions operating out of a drop while making the Volunteers think twice about even attempting shots with him in the vicinity.

He stepped outside the paint on several occasions showing impressive mobility in sliding his feet and 7-foot- 4 frame and continued to work hard deep into the second half while playing all but 33 seconds of the 40-minute contest. Clearly battling fatigue, Edey's defensive impact did drop off somewhat in the second half, which is concerning at the NBA level.

Beyond that, Edey's sheer skill-level catching and finishing out of the pick-and-roll, utilizing polished footwork and using both hands finishing inside the paint was impressive to see. He didn't receive anywhere near the same type of whistle as he usually does in Big Ten play, as Tennessee's big men were allowed to grab, hold, push and essentially foul him on every possession. His physicality and competitiveness playing through relentless contact was on display as he drew 22 free throws. He made some smart passes out of double-teams and got his teammates a number of easy baskets with his screening. In the paint, he dominated the offensive glass, as usual, being impossible to dislodge in front of the rim once he established position.

Already coming into this game a projected lottery pick, this was exactly the type of performance that could further propel him into the top 10 for one of the many teams that already has bought into the impact he'll surely make in the NBA. This effort also could go a long way in convincing the holdouts of just how impactful his tremendous size, length, strength, toughness, skill level and intensity can be at the next level. Edey has been viewed by most NBA teams ESPN has spoken with as a lock first-round pick for months now, but his standing has improved considerably with his late-blooming trajectory (he has only been playing basketball since age 15), competitiveness and the fact that he is still a young senior at age 21.

Edey will have another high-profile contest awaiting in Arizona against red-hot DJ Burns Jr. and NC State and, if both Purdue and UConn advance, a dream big-man matchup with Clingan in the championship game. -- Givony[/QUOTE]

ZZZZZ

How many of Edey's points were outside of 5 feet? I'm guessing zero. It will be hard to make a living just off 5 foot jump hooks in the NBA.

I've never seen any 7 footer just routinely let guys shoot inside without trying to contest. That is why he hasn't fouled out of a game in the last two years.

Tankathon moved him up from 33 to 32 in their latest mock. :lol

[QUOTE=tontoz;14896984]ZZZZZ

How many of Edey's points were outside of 5 feet? I'm guessing zero. It will be hard to make a living just off 5 foot jump hooks in the NBA.

I've never seen any 7 footer just routinely let guys shoot inside without trying to contest. That is why he hasn't fouled out of a game in the last two years.

Tankathon moved him up from 33 to 32 in their latest mock. :lol[/QUOTE]

14 of them came from 15 feet.

I think we’ll know more if UConn and Purdue meet in the final. Donovan Clingan is the only guy in college who can physically match up, and he’s a legit NBA prospect.

If Edey is able to handle that matchup I think it’ll go along way towards his stock. If Clingan wins, which would not surprise me, then he won’t be drafted in the first round at all.

[QUOTE=ShawkFactory;14897000]I think we’ll know more if UConn and Purdue meet in the final. Donovan Clingan is the only guy in college who can physically match up, and he’s a legit NBA prospect.

If Edey is able to handle that matchup I think it’ll go along way towards his stock. If Clingan wins, which would not surprise me, then he won’t be drafted in the first round at all.[/QUOTE]

It'll be interesting. Clingan is like 250 right now I think while Edey is around 295-300. Zach did well last season against Derrick Lively who is 7'1" and has a 7'7" wingspan.

[QUOTE=Im Still Ballin;14896993]14 of them came from 15 feet.[/QUOTE]

I didn't watch the game but I heard he got some cheap foul calls. His shot chart tells the story. I seriously doubt NBA teams will let him post up right in front of the rim over and over.


[IMG]https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g195/tontoz/IMG_20240404_144059.jpg[/IMG]

Why does Edey make tontoz meltdown so hard?

[QUOTE=tontoz;14897006]I didn't watch the game but I heard he got some cheap foul calls. His shot chart tells the story. I seriously doubt NBA teams will let him post up right in front of the rim over and over.


[IMG]https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/g195/tontoz/IMG_20240404_144059.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

Looks kind of like Jokic's shot chart from two years ago:

[img]https://i.ibb.co/X38z3T4/DEN-vs-IND-on-03-31-2022.png[/img]

[QUOTE=Im Still Ballin;14897009]Looks kind of like Jokic's shot chart from two years ago:

[img]https://i.ibb.co/X38z3T4/DEN-vs-IND-on-03-31-2022.png[/img][/QUOTE]



Jokic attempted almost 300 3s two years ago. Jokic has shot over 50% from 10-16 feet the last 3 years.

[QUOTE=tontoz;14897013]Jokic attempted almost 300 3s two years ago. Jokic has shot over 50% from 10-16 feet the last 3 years.[/QUOTE]

And? What's that got to do with anything?