The Purdue basketball team is gearing up for the Final Four after they defeated Tennessee in a thrilling Elite Eight game. The Boilermakers' win was all about Zach Edey's 40-point double-double performance. With Edey making his way through March Madness, plenty of debate has sparked about his NBA Draft profile with the season approaching its end.
Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter recently spoke on Edey's NBA Draft disrespect in an episode of The Rich Eisen Show, and Painter was not pleased with the criticism his big man has received:
“You know the people that don't talk s*** about him are the ones that have to play against him. Those are the ones where he gets a lot of static because he's unique. I think anytime you're different, people don't want to give you the credit. You know he's just different. You know he's 7-4 and he's 300, and he can move, and he's competitive, and he's unselfish, just a lot of really good qualities you know about him, but he's getting better.
“You know this is his seventh year of organized basketball. You know he's improving; he's getting better; he's learning the game, and you know he's cutting down the nets, and he doesn't need a ladder.”
Edey has been the topic of discussion lately with guys such as Gilbert Arenas expressing why NBA GMs should stay away from him in the draft. Others such as UConn head coach Dan Hurley have been vocal about Edey's talent, and he can succeed at the next level.
Nonetheless, Edey's talent has been highlighted on the biggest stage during this March Madness run.
What does Zach Edey's NBA profile look like?
The Purdue basketball star is quite the player to examine. He is averaging 24.2 PPG with 11.7 rebounds on the year and has been the main cog for the Boilermakers. He had a double-double in each of his last seven games, including a 30-point, 21-rebound outing in the Round of 64 win over 16-seed Grambling State.
Can he be a lottery pick? That remains to be seen. In a recent mock draft by Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, Edey was projected to go to the Milwaukee Bucks at No. 25 overall:
“Regardless, as rare and powerful as Edey’s impact has been, there will continue to be skeptics questioning his fit and value on an NBA floor. He’s still going to require a specific team, presumably one with shooters, that’s drawn to the idea of adding more physicality, easy baskets and shot-blocking in the middle.”
Edey has been as dominant as anybody this season and has the Purdue basketball team forgetting all about that upset loss to 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson a year ago.
A potential title game battle between Edey and UConn star Donovan Clingan would be fantastic, but both teams have games to play before we can have that discussion. To make things more intriguing, NC State's DJ Burns could cause some issues for Edey.
Nonetheless, Painter is not entirely thrilled with the recent NBA Draft perception about his star big man, and only time will tell where he ends up in the NBA.
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