NBA Draft

2024 NBA Draft: Analyzing Zach Edey's Best Fits in the NBA

Purdue's Zach Edey brings a valuable skillset to the NBA that a number of teams could best utilize.

Maurya Kumpatla

A dejected Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) walks off the court after losing the Men's NCAA national championship game to Connecticut Huskies at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on April 8, 2024.
A dejected Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) walks off the court after losing the Men's NCAA national championship game to Connecticut Huskies at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on April 8, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY
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Zach Edey is one of the most decorated college basketball players of all-time and arguably the most dominant post scorer the NCAA has ever seen.

He was named winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation's top center, and the Pete Newell Award (USBWA), given to the nation's top post player, for two straight years. His post up frequency was in the 100th percentile in both his Junior and Senior seasons, and he maintained an 83rd and 85th percentile efficiency in those seasons, respectively. That's an unprecedented combination of volume and efficiency.

Outside of this elite on-ball post creation, though, he's bringing a very valuable skillset to the NBA that can be scaled down in a smaller role — read more about his fit in the NBA here. In short, he brings elite screening, rolling, interior scoring, rebounding, pick-and-roll drop defense, and rim protection to any NBA team.

But, some teams can utilize this skillset better than others:

Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets have an excellent young duo in LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller — the former an NBA All-Star and the latter of which just finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. They have other players who could grow to become great players in their own right too, including Nick Smith Jr. and Tre Mann. But, what these players have in common is that they're all offensive minded players who lack defensive ability, which led to the Hornets' second-worst rated defense. And, what the Hornets roster lacks is depth at the center position.

Edey could come in and fix both of these problems. While they do have Mark Williams, he hasn't been productive or reliable enough thus far into his career to justify passing up on someone as good at basketball as Edey is.

The Hornets finished the season No. 30 in rebounding, No. 22 in points in the paint scored, No. 29 in defensive rating and No. 23 in opponent points in the paint allowed. Simply put, they were out-rebounded and out-scored in the paint on a night-to-night basis while being one of the league's worst defenses.

Edey's interior scoring in the form of rolls, dives, offensive rebounds and complimentary post scoring would boost Charlotte's poor paint offense while his dominant paint defense and rebounding would help on the other side. His elite screening, at 7-foot-4 and 300 pounds, would also help Ball and Miller find easier scoring opportunities through the pick-and-roll. Ball has already seen the benefits of screening when playing with Mason Plumlee.

Memphis Grizzlies

With Ja Morant's return next season, the Memphis Grizzlies will look to once again contend in the playoffs. After trading away Steven Adams, they're in need of a win-now center who excels at screening to make life easier for Morant, pick-and-roll defense to allow Jaren Jackson Jr. to play as a 'roamer' or 'free safety' on defense, and rebounding as that's Jackson Jr.'s biggest weakness.

Outside of Donovan Clingan, no player provides a better combination of those three skills than Edey. He's the best screener in the draft, a dominant drop defender in pick-and-roll and a historic rebounding prospect.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat's depth at the center position has been lacking for a while. They have a perennial All-Star and All-Defense candidate in Bam Adebyo as their starter, but after that, follow a 35-year-old Kevin Love, Thomas Bryant and Orlando Robinson as his backups. This lack of depth and overall defensive help outside of Jimmy Butler has led to Miami's defensive scheme completely revolving around Adebayo and depending on him for the past five seasons.

Edey would come in and relieve some of that pressure as a backup big immediately. And when playing together, he could give Adebayo some breathing room on defense, which would also allow him to exert more of his energy into his offense.

The Heat also ended the regular season as the fifth-worst rebounding team, which Edey would help with.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have a few bigs — Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes and Colin Casleton — none of whom are dependable enough to serve as a reliable backup to Anthony Davis. Drafting Edey is a worthwhile gamble for them that could pay off.

His post scoring could add a creation boost to the Lakers' second unit, something they need as they finished 28th in bench scoring last season. D'Angelo Russell and LeBron James could also bring out the best in Edey in pick-and-roll in the minutes that they share with him.

Toronto Raptors

After trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, the Toronto Raptors have tilted towards a rebuild more than ever. They possess a franchise player in Scottie Barnes, and plethora of young guards including RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Gradey Dick.

But, with Jakob Poeltl being 28-years-old, they lack a franchise center. That's where Edey comes in. He could be the perfect center to fill their young core with whilst they wait for an electric guard or wing to draft in 2025.

Honorable Mentions:

Phoenix Suns: Edey's post scoring could add another dimension to the Suns' midrange pullup-heavy offense.

New York Knicks: The Knicks have proven to get a lot of mileage out of two-way interior bigs with Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson, and with Harteinstein's looming unrestricted free agency, they could draft Edey as a measure of protection incase they're unable to resign him.

Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets' severe dependence on Nikola Jokic and lack of any serviceable big to back him up showed in the postseason. Edey would be a wonderful backup center, and his post creation would be much appreciated on the league's most post up-heavy team.

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Maurya K
MAURYA KUMPATLA

Maurya currently attends the University of Tennessee and covers the NBA Draft, as well as the league as a whole. He enjoys analyzing player fit and team building as he evaluates prospects.

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