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

[Im Still Ballin]

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.

[warriorfan]

I don’t know man. He’s really slow.

[Im Still Ballin]

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.

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.

[warriorfan]

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.

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.

[Carbine]

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

[AlternativeAcc.]

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

[SouBeachTalents]

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

[Kblaze8855]

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.

[Im Still Ballin]

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.

[tontoz]

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.

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.

[Im Still Ballin]

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

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.

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.

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.

[tontoz]

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.

How many games have you actually watched him play?

[Kblaze8855]

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.

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.

[Im Still Ballin]

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.

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:





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.

[ArbitraryWater]

thats Zubac