Purdue basketball most recently defeated Tennessee in the Elite Eight 72-66, as they continue their March Madness journey. Big man Zach Edey led the way for the Boilermakers with a jaw-dropping 40-point, 16-rebound double-double. Edey's performance has led to further conversation about where he may fall in the 2024 NBA Draft.
So will Edey be a lottery pick?
There have been many different opinions on the matter. The most recent 2024 NBA Mock Draft from Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN has Edey going No. 13 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The article states that Edey's dominant performance against Tennessee will be pivotal for him ahead of the NBA Draft.
“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,” the ESPN article states. “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.”
So why do we even need to have this discussion? Where is the criticism coming from of Zach Edey?
Zach Edey silencing critics
Edey is a 7'4 monster in the paint. Some people around the NBA world aren't sure his game will translate to the next level, though.
He averaged 25 points per game this past season. Edey has also averaged between 12-13 rebounds in each of his past two years with Purdue. He's also a feared rim-protector, recording 2-plus blocks per game over the past two seasons.
With that being said, today's NBA is three-point shooting heavy. Even big men are capable of finding the bottom of the net from beyond the arc. Edey plays an old-school brand of basketball, though. The Purdue big man does not shoot three-pointers.
Purdue basketball head coach Matt Painter previously fired back at Edey's critics.
“I've never seen somebody so good get so much s**t for no reason,” Painter said in March, via John Leuzzi of indystar.com.”It blows my mind.”
Zach Edey has done a good job of firing back at his critics with his outstanding March Madness performance. He's recorded at least 23 points and 14 rebounds in each of Purdue's four games so far in the NCAA Tournament, via ClutchPoints.
He has also done talking as well, however.
“They thought they knew what we had in our hearts,” Edey said. “I'll promise you they didn't. We're f**king winners. This what we do.”
Sure, some mock drafts and analysts think Edey will fall to the second round in the NBA Draft. But his dominance has been exceptional in the tournament. He's impressed throughout the past couple of seasons as well.
It seems likely that an NBA team will take a chance on Edey in the first round.
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