Zach Edey, 7-4

[babyjax13]

I've warmed up to edey in the mid first, not so much because I think he's great, but because this draft is bad and I can see him being effective in an 18-24 minute per game role in a way that most bench players and spot starters aren't. I think he gets played off the court in some matchups, though.

[Big J]

If you understand Edey game, you will value Edey. If you don't, you won't. This argument will last for till game 1 and regardless of what he does, this discussion will have strong opinions in either direction.

Who doesn't understand Edey's game? He's one of the easiest player evaluations I've ever done. There's nothing complex about what he does, and what his limitations are.

[King Ken]

If you understand Edey game, you will value Edey. If you don't, you won't. This argument will last for till game 1 and regardless of what he does, this discussion will have strong opinions in either direction.

Who doesn't understand Edey's game? He's one of the easiest player evaluations I've ever done. There's nothing complex about what he does, and what his limitations are.

He's been my most difficult eval. 2nd was Brandon Clarke. I've watched 27 games possession by possession. Wrote two scouting reports, re-wrote my 2nd one. I watched over 20 different players as comp and NONE came out as compatible on tape. This has been easily over 60 hours as well.

He's a senior so he should be difficult for anyone who's being serious. My biggest regret of 2019 was not taking Cameron Johnson seriously as a prospect. I didn't like him as a 3, wrote him off only to realize he's a small ball 4 genuinely stretches the floor with movement, BBIQ, feel, and his shooting ability. I always saw him as a undersized 3 without the athletic ability and wrote him off. I shouldn't have did that. That was stupid on my end. With Clarke, I didn't make that mistake thankfully.

Seniors should be your most difficult evals who are 1st rounders because if they became 1st rounders, it's unlikely they fit a prototype we have seen before or they would have been in the draft previously as a 1st rounder the year before or before that. Edey is difficult because what he does in college, he won't exactly do in the NBA but he will to a degree. His style won't change, his usage will.

OAD are the easiest to project but the hardest to land accurately. Sophs are more difficult but they are easier to be accurate on than OAD. Juniors are fairly difficult and seniors who are 1st round grades are extremely difficult. The easiest is guys like Dalton Knecht who are late bloomers as they have a prototype.

I've found Edey, Shannon Jr, Tyler Kolek, Oso I, and da Silva to be difficult evals and I honestly think, where they land is far more important than anything else.

Anyone saying Edey is an easy eval likely just wrote him off like I did with Cameron Johnson. It's easy to do as every draft has a ton of players.

[Big J]

If you understand Edey game, you will value Edey. If you don't, you won't. This argument will last for till game 1 and regardless of what he does, this discussion will have strong opinions in either direction.

Who doesn't understand Edey's game? He's one of the easiest player evaluations I've ever done. There's nothing complex about what he does, and what his limitations are.

He's been my most difficult eval. 2nd was Brandon Clarke. I've watched 27 games possession by possession. Wrote two scouting reports, re-wrote my 2nd one. I watched over 20 different players as comp and NONE came out as compatible on tape. This has been easily over 60 hours as well.

He's a senior so he should be difficult for anyone who's being serious. My biggest regret of 2019 was not taking Cameron Johnson seriously as a prospect. I didn't like him as a 3, wrote him off only to realize he's a small ball 4 genuinely stretches the floor with movement, BBIQ, feel, and his shooting ability. I always saw him as a undersized 3 without the athletic ability and wrote him off. I shouldn't have did that. That was stupid on my end. With Clarke, I didn't make that mistake thankfully.

Seniors should be your most difficult evals who are 1st rounders because if they became 1st rounders, it's unlikely they fit a prototype we have seen before or they would have been in the draft previously as a 1st rounder the year before or before that. Edey is difficult because what he does in college, he won't exactly do in the NBA but he will to a degree. His style won't change, his usage will.

OAD are the easiest to project but the hardest to land accurately. Sophs are more difficult but they are easier to be accurate on than OAD. Juniors are fairly difficult and seniors who are 1st round grades are extremely difficult. The easiest is guys like Dalton Knecht who are late bloomers as they have a prototype.

I've found Edey, Shannon Jr, Tyler Kolek, Oso I, and da Silva to be difficult evals and I honestly think, where they land is far more important than anything else.

Anyone saying Edey is an easy eval likely just wrote him off like I did with Cameron Johnson. It's easy to do as every draft has a ton of players.

Was Drew Timme a hard eval for you as well?

[King Ken]

Who doesn't understand Edey's game? He's one of the easiest player evaluations I've ever done. There's nothing complex about what he does, and what his limitations are.

He's been my most difficult eval. 2nd was Brandon Clarke. I've watched 27 games possession by possession. Wrote two scouting reports, re-wrote my 2nd one. I watched over 20 different players as comp and NONE came out as compatible on tape. This has been easily over 60 hours as well.

He's a senior so he should be difficult for anyone who's being serious. My biggest regret of 2019 was not taking Cameron Johnson seriously as a prospect. I didn't like him as a 3, wrote him off only to realize he's a small ball 4 genuinely stretches the floor with movement, BBIQ, feel, and his shooting ability. I always saw him as a undersized 3 without the athletic ability and wrote him off. I shouldn't have did that. That was stupid on my end. With Clarke, I didn't make that mistake thankfully.

Seniors should be your most difficult evals who are 1st rounders because if they became 1st rounders, it's unlikely they fit a prototype we have seen before or they would have been in the draft previously as a 1st rounder the year before or before that. Edey is difficult because what he does in college, he won't exactly do in the NBA but he will to a degree. His style won't change, his usage will.

OAD are the easiest to project but the hardest to land accurately. Sophs are more difficult but they are easier to be accurate on than OAD. Juniors are fairly difficult and seniors who are 1st round grades are extremely difficult. The easiest is guys like Dalton Knecht who are late bloomers as they have a prototype.

I've found Edey, Shannon Jr, Tyler Kolek, Oso I, and da Silva to be difficult evals and I honestly think, where they land is far more important than anything else.

Anyone saying Edey is an easy eval likely just wrote him off like I did with Cameron Johnson. It's easy to do as every draft has a ton of players.

Was Drew Timme a hard eval for you as well?

No

[Big J]

He's been my most difficult eval. 2nd was Brandon Clarke. I've watched 27 games possession by possession. Wrote two scouting reports, re-wrote my 2nd one. I watched over 20 different players as comp and NONE came out as compatible on tape. This has been easily over 60 hours as well.

He's a senior so he should be difficult for anyone who's being serious. My biggest regret of 2019 was not taking Cameron Johnson seriously as a prospect. I didn't like him as a 3, wrote him off only to realize he's a small ball 4 genuinely stretches the floor with movement, BBIQ, feel, and his shooting ability. I always saw him as a undersized 3 without the athletic ability and wrote him off. I shouldn't have did that. That was stupid on my end. With Clarke, I didn't make that mistake thankfully.

Seniors should be your most difficult evals who are 1st rounders because if they became 1st rounders, it's unlikely they fit a prototype we have seen before or they would have been in the draft previously as a 1st rounder the year before or before that. Edey is difficult because what he does in college, he won't exactly do in the NBA but he will to a degree. His style won't change, his usage will.

OAD are the easiest to project but the hardest to land accurately. Sophs are more difficult but they are easier to be accurate on than OAD. Juniors are fairly difficult and seniors who are 1st round grades are extremely difficult. The easiest is guys like Dalton Knecht who are late bloomers as they have a prototype.

I've found Edey, Shannon Jr, Tyler Kolek, Oso I, and da Silva to be difficult evals and I honestly think, where they land is far more important than anything else.

Anyone saying Edey is an easy eval likely just wrote him off like I did with Cameron Johnson. It's easy to do as every draft has a ton of players.

Was Drew Timme a hard eval for you as well?

No

How? They are basically the same player except Edey is taller & Timme had better post moves.

[King Ken]

Was Drew Timme a hard eval for you as well?

No

How? They are basically the same player except Edey is taller & Timme had better post moves.

Do better

[HadAnEffectHere]

Drew Timme: 6'9", 7'2" wingspan, 243 pounds
Zach Edey: 7'3", 7'10.5" wingspan, 285 pounds

[babyjax13]

Was Drew Timme a hard eval for you as well?

No

How? They are basically the same player except Edey is taller & Timme had better post moves.

I'm 5-11 and basically Shaq. Okay, Steve Novak, but still.

[FrodoBaggins]

I don't know why people compare Edey to Garza, Timme, and Tshiebwe. Those guys are the classic undersized types that either lack the ability to shoot or protect the rim. Zach doesn't fit into that mold because he's not undersized and he can protect the rim. And he may very well be able to shoot threes from what scouts said at the 2023 NBA Combine.

He's in another mold completely. And there's not many guys to compare him to. Maybe Boban and Tacko Fall but Zach is undeniably more mobile/athletic than both of those guys. Way better strength, speed, power, endurance, agility, durability, balance, and coordination.

REMINDER to read this post:

He moved better in the combine tests than many NBA centers despite outweighing all of them, from 20 pounds to as much as like 80. Now that doesn't guarantee mobility in-game but it at least gives him a great shot to be. He was 306.4 pounds when he did those tests. He's like 290 now I think.

Zach Edey 2023 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.37 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.45 seconds

Steven Adams 2014 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.85 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.40 seconds

Rudy Gobert 2014 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 12.85 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.57 seconds

Brook Lopez 2009 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 12.77 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.57 seconds

DeMarcus Cousins 2011 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.40 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.55 seconds

Hassan Whiteside 2011 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.83 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.54 seconds

Nikola Vucevic 2012 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 12.02 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.27 seconds

Bobby Portis 2016 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.78 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.56 seconds

Bam Adebayo 2018 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.94 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.24 seconds

Nicolas Claxton 2020 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.26 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.36 seconds

Xavier Tillman Sr 2021 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 11.80 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.49 seconds

To compare Edey to a true plodding Giant, check out Tacko Fall's numbers:

Tacko Fall 2020 NBA Combine:

Lane agility test: 13.01 seconds
3/4 court sprint test: 3.78 seconds

When it comes to mobility, Zach is much more like Adams, Lopez, and Gobert. And that was at 306 pounds a year ago. He dropped like 15 pounds and has been noticeably more mobile this season.

The prospect of a Boban/Yao-sized guy with mobility/athleticism on the level of Adams, Lopez, and Gobert is a very intriguing prospect to me. 7'4" but moves like he's 6'11".

[shangrila]

No

How? They are basically the same player except Edey is taller & Timme had better post moves.

I'm 5-11 and basically Shaq. Okay, Steve Novak, but still.

Get out with that Steve Novak slander

[JMAC3]

If you understand Edey game, you will value Edey. If you don't, you won't. This argument will last for till game 1 and regardless of what he does, this discussion will have strong opinions in either direction.

Who doesn't understand Edey's game? He's one of the easiest player evaluations I've ever done. There's nothing complex about what he does, and what his limitations are.

He's been my most difficult eval. 2nd was Brandon Clarke. I've watched 27 games possession by possession. Wrote two scouting reports, re-wrote my 2nd one. I watched over 20 different players as comp and NONE came out as compatible on tape. This has been easily over 60 hours as well.

He's a senior so he should be difficult for anyone who's being serious. My biggest regret of 2019 was not taking Cameron Johnson seriously as a prospect. I didn't like him as a 3, wrote him off only to realize he's a small ball 4 genuinely stretches the floor with movement, BBIQ, feel, and his shooting ability. I always saw him as a undersized 3 without the athletic ability and wrote him off. I shouldn't have did that. That was stupid on my end. With Clarke, I didn't make that mistake thankfully.

Seniors should be your most difficult evals who are 1st rounders because if they became 1st rounders, it's unlikely they fit a prototype we have seen before or they would have been in the draft previously as a 1st rounder the year before or before that. Edey is difficult because what he does in college, he won't exactly do in the NBA but he will to a degree. His style won't change, his usage will.

OAD are the easiest to project but the hardest to land accurately. Sophs are more difficult but they are easier to be accurate on than OAD. Juniors are fairly difficult and seniors who are 1st round grades are extremely difficult. The easiest is guys like Dalton Knecht who are late bloomers as they have a prototype.

I've found Edey, Shannon Jr, Tyler Kolek, Oso I, and da Silva to be difficult evals and I honestly think, where they land is far more important than anything else.

Anyone saying Edey is an easy eval likely just wrote him off like I did with Cameron Johnson. It's easy to do as every draft has a ton of players.

Outside of both of the players being older Cam Johnson and Edey are nothing alike. Cam Johnson fit modern basketball, still does. That is why he has value in a game all about space, shooting and defensive players with length. He checked all the boxes. It makes sense we should have been higher on him coming out.

Edey is the opposite. He basically is an 80s center and you are trying to project how that fits in today's game. You want your centers today to be super athletic to constantly sprint around, screen, dive to the rim and be able to sprint around on defense to guard the corner 3 and the rim at the same time. Or you want them to be really talented shooters who can bring the opposing bigs away from the rim. Edey is nothing like anything that works today.

So there are 0 players that fit the Edey comp today, whereas there are 40 players who play just like Cam Johnson.

[King Ken]

Who doesn't understand Edey's game? He's one of the easiest player evaluations I've ever done. There's nothing complex about what he does, and what his limitations are.

He's been my most difficult eval. 2nd was Brandon Clarke. I've watched 27 games possession by possession. Wrote two scouting reports, re-wrote my 2nd one. I watched over 20 different players as comp and NONE came out as compatible on tape. This has been easily over 60 hours as well.

He's a senior so he should be difficult for anyone who's being serious. My biggest regret of 2019 was not taking Cameron Johnson seriously as a prospect. I didn't like him as a 3, wrote him off only to realize he's a small ball 4 genuinely stretches the floor with movement, BBIQ, feel, and his shooting ability. I always saw him as a undersized 3 without the athletic ability and wrote him off. I shouldn't have did that. That was stupid on my end. With Clarke, I didn't make that mistake thankfully.

Seniors should be your most difficult evals who are 1st rounders because if they became 1st rounders, it's unlikely they fit a prototype we have seen before or they would have been in the draft previously as a 1st rounder the year before or before that. Edey is difficult because what he does in college, he won't exactly do in the NBA but he will to a degree. His style won't change, his usage will.

OAD are the easiest to project but the hardest to land accurately. Sophs are more difficult but they are easier to be accurate on than OAD. Juniors are fairly difficult and seniors who are 1st round grades are extremely difficult. The easiest is guys like Dalton Knecht who are late bloomers as they have a prototype.

I've found Edey, Shannon Jr, Tyler Kolek, Oso I, and da Silva to be difficult evals and I honestly think, where they land is far more important than anything else.

Anyone saying Edey is an easy eval likely just wrote him off like I did with Cameron Johnson. It's easy to do as every draft has a ton of players.

Outside of both of the players being older Cam Johnson and Edey are nothing alike. Cam Johnson fit modern basketball, still does. That is why he has value in a game all about space, shooting and defensive players with length. He checked all the boxes. It makes sense we should have been higher on him coming out.

Edey is the opposite. He basically is an 80s center and you are trying to project how that fits in today's game. You want your centers today to be super athletic to constantly sprint around, screen, dive to the rim and be able to sprint around on defense to guard the corner 3 and the rim at the same time. Or you want them to be really talented shooters who can bring the opposing bigs away from the rim. Edey is nothing like anything that works today.

So there are 0 players that fit the Edey comp today, whereas there are 40 players who play just like Cam Johnson.

As I've stated eariler, if you don't understand Edey game, you will likely miss on Edey. It's easy to miss on Edey just like it was easy to miss on Johnson when he was a prospect in 2019.

[JMAC3]

He's been my most difficult eval. 2nd was Brandon Clarke. I've watched 27 games possession by possession. Wrote two scouting reports, re-wrote my 2nd one. I watched over 20 different players as comp and NONE came out as compatible on tape. This has been easily over 60 hours as well.

He's a senior so he should be difficult for anyone who's being serious. My biggest regret of 2019 was not taking Cameron Johnson seriously as a prospect. I didn't like him as a 3, wrote him off only to realize he's a small ball 4 genuinely stretches the floor with movement, BBIQ, feel, and his shooting ability. I always saw him as a undersized 3 without the athletic ability and wrote him off. I shouldn't have did that. That was stupid on my end. With Clarke, I didn't make that mistake thankfully.

Seniors should be your most difficult evals who are 1st rounders because if they became 1st rounders, it's unlikely they fit a prototype we have seen before or they would have been in the draft previously as a 1st rounder the year before or before that. Edey is difficult because what he does in college, he won't exactly do in the NBA but he will to a degree. His style won't change, his usage will.

OAD are the easiest to project but the hardest to land accurately. Sophs are more difficult but they are easier to be accurate on than OAD. Juniors are fairly difficult and seniors who are 1st round grades are extremely difficult. The easiest is guys like Dalton Knecht who are late bloomers as they have a prototype.

I've found Edey, Shannon Jr, Tyler Kolek, Oso I, and da Silva to be difficult evals and I honestly think, where they land is far more important than anything else.

Anyone saying Edey is an easy eval likely just wrote him off like I did with Cameron Johnson. It's easy to do as every draft has a ton of players.

Outside of both of the players being older Cam Johnson and Edey are nothing alike. Cam Johnson fit modern basketball, still does. That is why he has value in a game all about space, shooting and defensive players with length. He checked all the boxes. It makes sense we should have been higher on him coming out.

Edey is the opposite. He basically is an 80s center and you are trying to project how that fits in today's game. You want your centers today to be super athletic to constantly sprint around, screen, dive to the rim and be able to sprint around on defense to guard the corner 3 and the rim at the same time. Or you want them to be really talented shooters who can bring the opposing bigs away from the rim. Edey is nothing like anything that works today.

So there are 0 players that fit the Edey comp today, whereas there are 40 players who play just like Cam Johnson.

As I've stated eariler, if you don't understand Edey game, you will likely miss on Edey. It's easy to miss on Edey just like it was easy to miss on Johnson when he was a prospect in 2019.

I don't think you understand his game, so you are like to miss on trying to pump him up as next Shaq lol

[King Ken]

Outside of both of the players being older Cam Johnson and Edey are nothing alike. Cam Johnson fit modern basketball, still does. That is why he has value in a game all about space, shooting and defensive players with length. He checked all the boxes. It makes sense we should have been higher on him coming out.

Edey is the opposite. He basically is an 80s center and you are trying to project how that fits in today's game. You want your centers today to be super athletic to constantly sprint around, screen, dive to the rim and be able to sprint around on defense to guard the corner 3 and the rim at the same time. Or you want them to be really talented shooters who can bring the opposing bigs away from the rim. Edey is nothing like anything that works today.

So there are 0 players that fit the Edey comp today, whereas there are 40 players who play just like Cam Johnson.

As I've stated eariler, if you don't understand Edey game, you will likely miss on Edey. It's easy to miss on Edey just like it was easy to miss on Johnson when he was a prospect in 2019.

I don't think you understand his game, so you are like to miss on trying to pump him up as next Shaq lol

Next Shaq? Lmao okay. I find it hilarious when someone who doesn't do their homework and isn't prepared tries to attack people who are just way more advanced on the subject than they are. It's just hilarious to me but that's the world we live in.

[Big J]

As I've stated eariler, if you don't understand Edey game, you will likely miss on Edey. It's easy to miss on Edey just like it was easy to miss on Johnson when he was a prospect in 2019.

I don't think you understand his game, so you are like to miss on trying to pump him up as next Shaq lol

Next Shaq? Lmao okay. I find it hilarious when someone who doesn't do their homework and isn't prepared tries to attack people who are just way more advanced on the subject than they are. It's just hilarious to me but that's the world we live in.

Edeys game is not complex at all bro. It’s as easy to understand as 3rd grade math. Plodding centers who can’t even shoot are dinosaurs in the modern game. You say that his usage rate will change in the NBA. That is going to make him even less valuable. He’s not better than Demarcus Cousins today, and cousins is out of the league.

[ItsDanger]

Was Drew Timme a hard eval for you as well?

No

How? They are basically the same player except Edey is taller & Timme had better post moves.

Timme was inefficient and terrible defensively, not a hindrance in college but a massive negative in the NBA. Plus at that height, there was no advantage. A 7'4 guy has an automatic advantage every post possession.

This confirms that the discussion is utterly pointless.

[Big J]

No

How? They are basically the same player except Edey is taller & Timme had better post moves.

Timme was inefficient and terrible defensively, not a hindrance in college but a massive negative in the NBA. Plus at that height, there was no advantage. A 7'4 guy has an automatic advantage every post possession.

This confirms that the discussion is utterly pointless.

How was Timme inefficient, but Edey isn’t? They both shot nearly identical from the field. Edey is terrible defensively as well. He is even less mobile than Timme was on that end.

[JMAC3]

As I've stated eariler, if you don't understand Edey game, you will likely miss on Edey. It's easy to miss on Edey just like it was easy to miss on Johnson when he was a prospect in 2019.

I don't think you understand his game, so you are like to miss on trying to pump him up as next Shaq lol

Next Shaq? Lmao okay. I find it hilarious when someone who doesn't do their homework and isn't prepared tries to attack people who are just way more advanced on the subject than they are. It's just hilarious to me but that's the world we live in.

Are you not over here saying he should be #1 pick? Will be an allstar if Hawks take him? You are the one who brought up Shaq a few post ago.

I have watched plenty of Edey over the last 4 years.

Drew Timme, Garza are not bad NBA players simply because of their defense though. Teams are willing to play really good offensive players who are bad defenders all the time. The reason they don't play is because the NBA doesn't value guys who play like that.

The closest things are Sabonis, Sengun and Jokic but all those guys are offensive hubs who can pass and also shoot the ball. Edey is far less skilled than those 3.

[King Ken]

I don't think you understand his game, so you are like to miss on trying to pump him up as next Shaq lol

Next Shaq? Lmao okay. I find it hilarious when someone who doesn't do their homework and isn't prepared tries to attack people who are just way more advanced on the subject than they are. It's just hilarious to me but that's the world we live in.

Are you not over here saying he should be #1 pick? Will be an allstar if Hawks take him? You are the one who brought up Shaq a few post ago.

I have watched plenty of Edey over the last 4 years.

Drew Timme, Garza are not bad NBA players simply because of their defense though. Teams are willing to play really good offensive players who are bad defenders all the time. The reason they don't play is because the NBA doesn't value guys who play like that.

The closest things are Sabonis, Sengun and Jokic but all those guys are offensive hubs who can pass and also shoot the ball. Edey is far less skilled than those 3.

No
Yep
Not as a direct comp for Shaq
You should be able to come up much better stuff than he's Drew Timme if you did
Timme isn't in the NBA. Garza is and defense is one of the main reasons he's been a 3rd stringer. Saying it isn't is a terrible Basketball opinion. Even his coaches will say that to him directly. He's add range too. Defense is exclusively the reason he's a 3rd stronger.
You just continue to have a prototype in your mind and since he's not that, you can't see him working out. That's exactly what I did to Cameron Johnson and I was wrong.