Although Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers fell short of their goal to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament title, the big man still gained so much respect because of the dominance he showed in the Big Dance. His 2024 NBA Draft stock must have also benefited from his performance in March Madness.
Who Will Land Zach Edey in the 2024 NBA Draft?
Most mock drafts still have Edey in the second round, including that of Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, who has the 7-4 behemoth pegged to go to the Toronto Raptors at No. 32 overall (*via the Detroit Pistons).
Zach Edey registered his eighth 30-point game of the season against Michigan State. No college team has any creative answer for his size, power, footwork and touch in the lane. Scouts are still questioning how effective he’ll be against NBA 7-footers and whether Edey can move well enough defensively on a more spaced-out floor. There will be teams that would presumably rather gamble on guards or wings. But all it takes is one team to see a big man with physical tools and post skills that are too advantageous to pass on.
There was a time when Edey would have been a lock top-10 pick, at the very least, in the NBA. But the league has evolved to a point where traditional, back-to-the-basket big men are seemingly displaced by versatile stretch bigs who can nail shots from downtown. That’s not what Edey is, as evidenced by the fact that he only took a total of two 3-point attempts in his entire college career.
However, he can still be a hit among Raptors fans. For one, he’s Canadian, who was part of Team Canada’s roster in last year’s FIBA World Cup alongside current Toronto center Kelly Olynyk.
“His body has improved, his speed, his balance, quickness. His strength, his functional strength has improved, skill. For me, a lot of it is his IQ has improved,” Olynyk said of Edey (h/t Aaron Rose of All Raptors). “He’s a really good player, obviously he’s a force down low, on the glass, in the paint, blocking shots. He really alters the dynamics of the game.”
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