Edey @ #32?

[TorontoBarneys]

I definitely wouldn't take Edey with our own #6 pick (or higher) if we keep it. I'm open to the idea of taking him with the Indiana pick, though.

[pilkoids]

If the Raps want Edey they'll have to take him with the Pacers pick. He'll be gone by 32 for sure.

[mtcan]

Edey is the best player in the draft? Wow, that's a take. Let me know, did you watch him play against men last summer in the Olympic qualifiers? He was unplayable and will be unplayable in the NBA on the defensive end in most games

How do you deny him if they go all the way. He's dragging Perdue.

It's college basketball. The rules, skill level and court are different. He is the best college basketball player, no one denies that. Just like Oscar Tshiebwe and Luke Garza before him. These guys do not translate to the NBA.

Tshiebwe is a 6'8 undersized center. No way he's able to play center at that size and no way he could play the 4 or 3 if he has no 3 point shot.

Being 7'4 with good touch around the basket and the ability to alter shots just by being 7'4. He's not on the court just because he's 7'4 like Taako Fall or Boban. He's legitimately useful out there.

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

How do you deny him if they go all the way. He's dragging Perdue.

It's college basketball. The rules, skill level and court are different. He is the best college basketball player, no one denies that. Just like Oscar Tshiebwe and Luke Garza before him. These guys do not translate to the NBA.

Tshiebwe is a 6'8 undersized center. No way he's able to play center at that size and no way he could play the 4 or 3 if he has no 3 point shot.

Being 7'4 with good touch around the basket and the ability to alter shots just by being 7'4. He's not on the court just because he's 7'4 like Taako Fall or Boban. He's legitimately useful out there.

He put up a 40 piece yesterday. He's got some decent moves, he's not a stiff.

[tecumseh18]

It's not, it's just an understanding that this draft is flat and he's probably the best player in it.

Edey is the best player in the draft? Wow, that's a take. Let me know, did you watch him play against men last summer in the Olympic qualifiers? He was unplayable and will be unplayable in the NBA on the defensive end in most games

How do you deny him if they go all the way. He's dragging Perdue.

All their 40% three-ballers are helping, and provide spacing for Edey to operate against a single (relatively) tiny defender. OK, they didn't hit their shots last game, but they still provided spacing.

[Dalek]

This has been an amazing run for Edey capped by almost playing a full 40 minutes last game. He is so valuable on the floor as a rebounder and scorer and I think given his workload he is better conditioned as an athlete than we give him credit for.

I know it is easy to say he is dominating against smaller players, but even in the NBA that is likely the case given that he is 300 lbs and 7'4. All the claims about Luka Garza and Drew Timme failing to make the NBA don't apply in the same way because of Edey's physical dominance. Boban and Tako Fall just are not the same quality of player as Edey.

The way people "defend" him in college is simply not allowed in the NBA. I watched guys just wrestling with him the entire game as he tried to establish position. Those are fouls. The impact of getting into the bonus early is a big impact for Purdue.

Additionally, saying he is helped by his shooters is a bit unfair. I think his gravity gives the shooters wide open looks. No doubt Purdue has good shooters, but Edey attracts more than single coverages.

The thing I wrestle with is the lack of 3 second rule in college. Edey benefits a lot from that and that will be a huge challenge for him because his defense is occupying space and he hasn't had to tag his man before.

[Mikey Streetz]

I would take a flyer on him with our 2nd rounder.

[dagger]

All of the draft rating opinions I've seen in the past 24 hours suggest he is going to be long gone by the second round, and is going to have a long NBA career if he lands in the right spot. As one pundit said, if you doubt his chances, even in today's NBA, you would have believed that Yao Ming would fail in the NBA.

[Johnny Bball]

Its fun to watch the chip on this kids shoulder get bigger and bigger as he gets closer to an NCAA title. Even naming names. That might serve him very well in the NBA if he can bottle that rage.

[ciueli]

All of the draft rating opinions I've seen in the past 24 hours suggest he is going to be long gone by the second round, and is going to have a long NBA career if he lands in the right spot. As one pundit said, if you doubt his chances, even in today's NBA, you would have believed that Yao Ming would fail in the NBA.

It isn't the mid-2000s anymore, the league is hugely different now than it was two decades ago with a dramatically faster pace and speed, even back in the 2000s Yao played limited minutes and struggled to stay on the court, I can't imagine what his career would have been like if he had to play in the modern NBA.

These days even stars rarely play heavy minutes, this year there are only 19 players in the NBA averaging 35MPG or more, travel back in time to 2004 and there were a whopping 55 players who did, many of those were even playing 80+ games per season or at least close to it. In spite of that reduction in playing time injuries are now everywhere, players can't stay on the court and many stars aren't even playing the 65 games required to qualify for post season awards.

The difference now is that success in the 2020s NBA requires players to run up and down the floor at a breakneck pace and sprint out from under the basket or across the court to contest 3 pointers in a way that wasn't necessary or even conceivable back in the 2000s. Switch defences and the need for floor spacing have teams prioritizing big men with foot speed and guard skills over the lumbering behemoths of old.

[Dalek]

All of the draft rating opinions I've seen in the past 24 hours suggest he is going to be long gone by the second round, and is going to have a long NBA career if he lands in the right spot. As one pundit said, if you doubt his chances, even in today's NBA, you would have believed that Yao Ming would fail in the NBA.

It isn't the mid-2000s anymore, the league is hugely different now than it was two decades ago with a dramatically faster pace and speed, even back in the 2000s Yao played limited minutes and struggled to stay on the court, I can't imagine what his career would have been like if he had to play in the modern NBA.

These days even stars rarely play heavy minutes, this year there are only 19 players in the NBA averaging 35MPG or more, travel back in time to 2004 and there were a whopping 55 players who did, many of those were even playing 80+ games per season or at least close to it. In spite of that reduction in playing time injuries are now everywhere, players can't stay on the court and many stars aren't even playing the 65 games required to qualify for post season awards.

The difference now is that success in the 2020s NBA requires players to run up and down the floor at a breakneck pace and sprint out from under the basket or across the court to contest 3 pointers in a way that wasn't necessary or even conceivable back in the 2000s. Switch defences and the need for floor spacing have teams prioritizing big men with foot speed and guard skills over the lumbering behemoths of old.

How does Jokic dominate and win titles requiring deep runs in a difficult Western conference? How does Embiid win an MVP being 7 feet? These guys are not sprinting down the court by any means. The key for Edey will be adding other skills like passing and shooting to extend his impact beyond post-ups. Kid is 21 and throwing 40-20 type games at teams. There is room for growth.

Dan Hurley said he should be lotto, and a high level NBA guy without hesitation. I just think people get stuck in a way of thinking about players when we overlook the fact that he is a special player who is likely not done growing as a player. He has only played bball for 6 years - four at Purdue. He is just getting started.

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[Snowwy]

Oh boy. now we have comparisons to Embiid, Jokic and Giannis for Edey. Again, have these people actually seen Edey play? Like a full game. Hope he can win a national title for Purdue. This thread really says a lot about a few posters on this site though. :/

[OAKLEY_2]

All of the draft rating opinions I've seen in the past 24 hours suggest he is going to be long gone by the second round, and is going to have a long NBA career if he lands in the right spot. As one pundit said, if you doubt his chances, even in today's NBA, you would have believed that Yao Ming would fail in the NBA.

I think we want to come out with either Edey or Ware. Between Pacers and Pistons. Probably be looking at Cody Williams, Edey and somebody who drops like Klintman or Watkins. Or we could go Salaun, Collier, Watkins. Or Cody Williams, Ware, Klintman. Guards are way less likely to bust.

[Dalek]

Oh boy. now we have comparisons to Embiid, Jokic and Giannis for Edey. Again, have these people actually seen Edey play? Like a full game. Hope he can win a national title for Purdue. This thread really says a lot about a few posters on this site though. :/

It is not a comparison if you read it. I am saying big men in the NBA don't always change ends quickly, and are not the best conditioned athletes, but they can still have a place in the modern NBA. Maybe Jokic and Embiid are at the top of the skill department. Guys like Brook Lopez almost won DPOY and was starting on a Championship team. Valancuinas and Nurkic are on playoff teams and important contributors, and neither is as big as Edey. I will say, if Edey keeps developing his secondary skills he has an opportunity to be special. He has the mentality of a star player.

[Randle McMurphy]

Oh boy. now we have comparisons to Embiid, Jokic and Giannis for Edey. Again, have these people actually seen Edey play? Like a full game. Hope he can win a national title for Purdue. This thread really says a lot about a few posters on this site though. :/

What’s clear is they definitely haven’t seen even bad college teams exploit his mobility the past two years on numerous occasions. It’s not gonna be pretty in the NBA against top level athletes and shooters in space.

[Snowwy]

Oh boy. now we have comparisons to Embiid, Jokic and Giannis for Edey. Again, have these people actually seen Edey play? Like a full game. Hope he can win a national title for Purdue. This thread really says a lot about a few posters on this site though. :/

It is not a comparison if you read it. I am saying big men in the NBA don't always change ends quickly, and are not the best conditioned athletes, but they can still have a place in the modern NBA. Maybe Jokic and Embiid are at the top of the skill department. Guys like Brook Lopez almost won DPOY and was starting on a Championship team. Valancuinas and Nurkic are on playoff teams and important contributors, and neither is as big as Edey. I will say, if Edey keeps developing his secondary skills he has an opportunity to be special. He has the mentality of a star player.

In Edey's four years in college, his team has lost to #13, #15 and #16 in the tournament. He's not the winner you seem to think he is.

I would be fine to be wrong. I have been wrong before and it would be great for basketball Canada. I was sure Nembhard was not a NBA player because of his turnstyle defence. His first year, he was terrible defensively, but he's been average this year.

[OAKLEY_2]

Oh and Bobby will restate at season's end they won't pick three players. They should as they can 2-way park number 31.

[Randle McMurphy]

All of the draft rating opinions I've seen in the past 24 hours suggest he is going to be long gone by the second round, and is going to have a long NBA career if he lands in the right spot. As one pundit said, if you doubt his chances, even in today's NBA, you would have believed that Yao Ming would fail in the NBA.

It isn't the mid-2000s anymore, the league is hugely different now than it was two decades ago with a dramatically faster pace and speed, even back in the 2000s Yao played limited minutes and struggled to stay on the court, I can't imagine what his career would have been like if he had to play in the modern NBA.

These days even stars rarely play heavy minutes, this year there are only 19 players in the NBA averaging 35MPG or more, travel back in time to 2004 and there were a whopping 55 players who did, many of those were even playing 80+ games per season or at least close to it. In spite of that reduction in playing time injuries are now everywhere, players can't stay on the court and many stars aren't even playing the 65 games required to qualify for post season awards.

The difference now is that success in the 2020s NBA requires players to run up and down the floor at a breakneck pace and sprint out from under the basket or across the court to contest 3 pointers in a way that wasn't necessary or even conceivable back in the 2000s. Switch defences and the need for floor spacing have teams prioritizing big men with foot speed and guard skills over the lumbering behemoths of old.

How does Jokic dominate and win titles requiring deep runs in a difficult Western conference? How does Embiid win an MVP being 7 feet? These guys are not sprinting down the court by any means. The key for Edey will be adding other skills like passing and shooting to extend his impact beyond post-ups. Kid is 21 and throwing 40-20 type games at teams. There is room for growth.

Dan Hurley said he should be lotto, and a high level NBA guy without hesitation. I just think people get stuck in a way of thinking about players when we overlook the fact that he is a special player who is likely not done growing as a player. He has only played bball for 6 years - four at Purdue. He is just getting started.

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Just wanted to also point out here that there’s no reason at all to take Hurley at face value here. What else is he supposed to say about his likely opponent in a national championship final? He’s not gonna insult the kid or give him any reason to be extra motivated come next Monday by saying he won’t be able to hack it in the NBA given the athlete he is.

Put Hurley in charge of a NBA team and you’ll find out what he truly thinks about Edey’s chances of impacting an NBA team.

[dagger]

Here's Jonathan Givony on Edey - who has him now going #13 in his new mock draft

Already coming into this game a projected lottery pick, this was exactly the type of performance that could further propel him into the top 10 for one of the many teams that already has bought into the impact he'll surely make in the NBA. This effort also could go a long way in convincing the holdouts of just how impactful his tremendous size, length, strength, toughness, skill level and intensity can be at the next level. Edey has been viewed by most NBA teams ESPN has spoken with as a lock first-round pick for months now, but his standing has improved considerably with his late-blooming trajectory (he has only been playing basketball since age 15), competitiveness and the fact that he is still a young senior at age 21.

[tanuki1031]

All of the draft rating opinions I've seen in the past 24 hours suggest he is going to be long gone by the second round, and is going to have a long NBA career if he lands in the right spot. As one pundit said, if you doubt his chances, even in today's NBA, you would have believed that Yao Ming would fail in the NBA.

It isn't the mid-2000s anymore, the league is hugely different now than it was two decades ago with a dramatically faster pace and speed, even back in the 2000s Yao played limited minutes and struggled to stay on the court, I can't imagine what his career would have been like if he had to play in the modern NBA.

These days even stars rarely play heavy minutes, this year there are only 19 players in the NBA averaging 35MPG or more, travel back in time to 2004 and there were a whopping 55 players who did, many of those were even playing 80+ games per season or at least close to it. In spite of that reduction in playing time injuries are now everywhere, players can't stay on the court and many stars aren't even playing the 65 games required to qualify for post season awards.

The difference now is that success in the 2020s NBA requires players to run up and down the floor at a breakneck pace and sprint out from under the basket or across the court to contest 3 pointers in a way that wasn't necessary or even conceivable back in the 2000s. Switch defences and the need for floor spacing have teams prioritizing big men with foot speed and guard skills over the lumbering behemoths of old.

How does Jokic dominate and win titles requiring deep runs in a difficult Western conference? How does Embiid win an MVP being 7 feet? These guys are not sprinting down the court by any means. The key for Edey will be adding other skills like passing and shooting to extend his impact beyond post-ups. Kid is 21 and throwing 40-20 type games at teams. There is room for growth.

Dan Hurley said he should be lotto, and a high level NBA guy without hesitation. I just think people get stuck in a way of thinking about players when we overlook the fact that he is a special player who is likely not done growing as a player. He has only played bball for 6 years - four at Purdue. He is just getting started.

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Anyone crying about their FO not drafting Jokic can stfu about Edey.

Jokic had the same glaring criticisms (too fat & out of shape, poor all-round movement, roasted on simple pick and rolls) with token strengths (high IQ, possibly best passing big man in his draft, long wing span, decent and improvable NBA shot).

If you're dead set on the modern NBA mold then you may as well project 80% of 6'4-6'9 200-230 lbs swingmen/guards as not translatable to the NBA.

Picks after #15 who "fit" the modern NBA
2023 - Jaime Jaquez Jr.
2022 - Kessler (barely, as a solely defensive center), Nembhard (serviceable for a #31 pick)
2021 - Sengun, Murphy III, Jalen Johnson, Herb Jones, Dosunmu (serviceable for a #38 pick)

Everyone else not named is already out of the league or on the way out because their size is about NBA average while their skills are drastically below NBA average. These guys get buried on benches or are cut because offensively they don't execute well enough and defensively they get lost or get straight up roasted. Edey isn't the only draftee potentially weak on defense.
That's a significant number of failed prospects and it doesn't get much better when you include guys drafted top-15.

Even if Edey turns out to be Boban, there was a period where the league had to figure out Boban. You can't say there has ever been or will be a time where the league has to figure out Cam Thomas, Saddiq Bey, or Goga Bitadze.

Whoever drafts and plays Edey will inevitably task every other team with figuring him out.

You probably don't take Edey at #6 but he's very much in play at #17.