NBA draft 2024: Zach Edey’s projections are all over the map

A two-time national player of the year would usually be a shoo-in as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

The NBA draft landscape has changed for Purdue center Zach Edey, who was selected as the National Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024. Edey boasts a large collection of awards and accolades, but he almost certainly won’t be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, which begins with the first round on Wednesday.

There are more than a few mock drafts that predict Edey will not even be a lottery pick. There are other mock draft projections which have Edey being selected earlier, with at least one connecting him to the Trail Blazers at No. 7.

The reason for the widely different projections for the 7-foot-4, 300-pound Edey are numerous.

Edey’s range is somewhat limited on offense, but when he gets the basketball close to the basket, he is very effective. Edey made 62.1% of his shots while averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in 39 starts for Purdue in 2023-24.

Edey got fouled – a lot – in college. He averaged 11.2 free throws a game during his senior year, when he led the Boilermakers to the Final Four.

According to ESPN, one NBA player compared Edey to Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal.

“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.”

The problem for Edey will likely be on the defensive end of the court. He’s slow and his footwork is suspect. That could be a problem for him trying to defend pick-and-rolls.

Comparing Edey to the legendary O’Neal might be a bit much, but NBA teams love size and Edey has plenty. That’s why there are many teams who are interested in him, just not the teams at the very top of the draft.