Purdue star center Zach Edey is participating at the NBA Combine this week as he prepares to make the jump to the professional level.
Edey, the national player of the year this past season, is an interesting draft case. He has size (officially 7’3.75 without shoes with a 7’10.75 wingspan) and impressive touch around the basket, but his lack of speed and ability to move laterally has many questioning what his impact will be at the next level.
Clearly, Edey attended the combine knowing he wouldn’t leave a positive impression in sprint drills. According to Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek, the Canadian big man clocked a 3.51 in the three-quarter court sprint drill.
You can see in the video below that he was not exactly flying around.
7’4” Zach Edey running the 3/4 court sprint at the combine pic.twitter.com/6vjdGc5q2y
— Krysten Peek (@krystenpeek) May 13, 2024
Still, Edey did actually edge out his 7-foot counterpart Donovan Clingan of UConn in the sprint, and more importantly, he’s been trying to showcase his ability to shoot from the perimeter, which would enhance his draft status.
If a team thinks Edey could be a viable option in pick-and-pop, it will only help his cause.
Zach Edey says he has the 3-ball in his game right now already and he’s looking forward to showing that. Doesn’t look like a stretch here at the NBA draft combine. pic.twitter.com/Egc1HYfSDs
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2024
Zach Edey looking sharp from beyond the arc here on drills day at the NBA Draft Combine: pic.twitter.com/2NSBexqJcm
— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) May 13, 2024
Trying to predict when Edey hears his name called in next month’s NBA Draft is an interesting exercise.
Most likely, he should come off the board either late in the first round or early in the second.