Raptors Announce Workouts for Zach Edey & Multiple Canadian Prospects

The Toronto Raptors plan to work out Purdue senior Zach Edey ahead of the NBA Draft later this month

Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey (15) is announced into the starting lineup ahead of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Connecticut Huskies, Monday, April 8, 2024, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY

The Toronto Raptors will be working out Zach Edey.

The 7-foot-4 Canadian center is one of six players the organization will host Tuesday morning at the OVO Athletic Centre, the team announced Monday. Edey will be joined by fellow Canadians Tyrese Samuel and Emanuel Miller as well as Jahmir Young, Joseph Girard III, and Keion Brooks Jr.

Edey is expected to be the first Canadian prospect off the board in this year's draft and could be available when the No. 19 pick rolls around for the Raptors.

The Purdue senior is a two-time NCAA Player of the Year award winner and one of the most dominant collegiate big men in recent history. He averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and two steals per game this past year while shooting 62.3% from the floor.

There's little doubt Edey will be an impactful offensive player at the next level. His size in the paint makes him an imposing force and he showed off his improving three-point shooting ability at the NBA combine last week. Any development as a shooter would make Edey an extremely difficult big man to guard thanks to his impressive screening ability that should make him a high-end pick-and-roll partner.

Defensively there are more worries about Edey's game.

He's a little too lumbering for the modern NBA and it's not difficult to see him getting exploited by opposing offenses. He can't switch onto the perimeter and will likely be forced to play in deep drop coverage when attacked in the pick-and-roll.

Edey has been projected by some to go as a late lottery pick, but it's possible he could fall to Toronto later in the first round or potentially early in the second round where the Raptors have the 31st pick.

The 22-year-old Edey grew up in Leaside in Toronto and represented Canada at the FIBA World Cup last summer.