Anonymous Player Compares Zach Edey to Shaquille O'Neal
Could Zach Edey be the next Shaquille O'Neal? The two-time Naismith National Player of the Year has a long, long way to go before he's in that conversation, but an anonymous player who worked out with the 7-foot-4 center has already made the comparison.
ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo recently released their 2024 NBA mock draft, with Edey slotted as the No. 15 pick by the Miami Heat. Within the Givony's analysis was a quote from an anonymous player who worked out with the former Boilermaker.
"Edey is drawing interest from teams that are drafting in front of and behind Miami, with every squad in the back half of the lottery after San Antonio said to be in the market for a center. Utah, Portland, Sacramento and the Los Angeles Lakers were some of Edey's latest stops on the workout circuit," he wrote.
"His combination of size, power and intensity has been difficult to contain in a workout setting, as there simply aren't many players in this draft equipped to slow him down. One player who worked out against Edey compared the experience to 'trying to guard Shaquille O'Neal.'"
It's universally accepted that O'Neal is one of the best players ever to play in the NBA, an incredibly dominant player during his career. He was a 15-time NBA All-Star and a four-time NBA champion. He was named the Finals MVP three times and has had his jersey retired by three different organizations — Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.
O'Neal finished his career with 28,596 points, 13,099 rebounds and 2,732 blocks. Pretty solid career, isn't it?
Over the past two years, Edey dominated the college basketball world. He was a two-time All-American and was named the National Player of the Year in consecutive seasons (2023-24). He finished last season averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per contest.
Purdue claimed a second straight regular season Big Ten title and earned a trip to the National Championship Game for the first time since 1969.
Edey finished his career in West Lafayette with 2,516 points and 1,321 rebounds, setting program records in each category. His name and No. 15 are already hanging in the rafters at Mackey Arena.
There's no denying Edey dominated the college game for the last two seasons. Maybe defending the 7-foot-4 center is like guard Shaq — it's incredibly difficult to slow him down.
But it's going to take some time — and a whole lot of success in the NBA — before Edey is in the same conversation as O'Neal.
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