Zach Edey, 7-4

[lastb1ckman]

Maybe if Wiseman had played an entire season of college basketball, his flaws may have been seen more and there would have been more warning that he wasn't going to pop at the NBA level. One bad year can turn a top HS prospect into a late 1st rounder, 2nd rounder or even undrafted.

[treefi]

Let's say Wiseman played college ball last year for Purdue instead of Edey. What are his averages?

This is odd. I don't know. Would he even fit Purdue mentally and work ethic wise?

He'd easily have put up 30 & 10 and you know it. He put up damn near 20 & 10 2 years against the grown professionals in the G League.

I really don’t think it’s so obvious that a 22/23 year-old James Wiseman would easily put up 30 & 10 dominating college like Edey has at 21/22 years old.

[lastb1ckman]

This is odd. I don't know. Would he even fit Purdue mentally and work ethic wise?

He'd easily have put up 30 & 10 and you know it. He put up damn near 20 & 10 2 years against the grown professionals in the G League.

I really don’t think it’s so obvious that a 22/23 year-old James Wiseman would easily put up 30 & 10 dominating college like Edey has at 21/22 years old.

I agree, we don't know if even now Wiseman has it in him to anchor a top ranked D1 college team. On defense or offense. He can definitely put up good counting stats from his athleticism alone, but hasn't shown he can be relied upon on or be conducive to winning at any level outside high school.

[CptCrunch]

Can we stop being revisionist about Wiseman? He may not have been 2, but he was a clear top 5 pick in a solid draft. How he turned out has nothing to do how good/bad of a prospect Wiseman was pre-draft. If you want to argue that Wiseman actually sucked, link me to your post calling Wiseman a bad pick from your post history.

Edey is being mocked 10-35 in weak one.

They aren't comparable as prospect.

[lastb1ckman]

Can we stop being revisionist about Wiseman? He may not have been 2, but he was a clear top 5 pick in a solid draft. How he turned out has nothing to do how good/bad of a prospect Wiseman was pre-draft. If you want to argue that Wiseman actually sucked, link me to your post calling Wiseman a bad pick from your post history.

Edey is being mocked 10-35 in weak one.

They aren't comparable as prospect.

I'm not sure what the issue is here. He was definitely a top 5 pick in that draft based off his potential. But we now know he kinda sucks at the NBA level at least. Who knows, if he played the whole season at Memphis maybe scouts would have gotten a more accurate view of him and he would've dropped. That happens to players all the time, just look at Isaiah Collier. I'm looking at the nba player Wiseman ended up being, not the pie in the sky potential prospect he was back then.

[CptCrunch]

Can we stop being revisionist about Wiseman? He may not have been 2, but he was a clear top 5 pick in a solid draft. How he turned out has nothing to do how good/bad of a prospect Wiseman was pre-draft. If you want to argue that Wiseman actually sucked, link me to your post calling Wiseman a bad pick from your post history.

Edey is being mocked 10-35 in weak one.

They aren't comparable as prospect.

I'm not sure what the issue is here. He was definitely a top 5 pick in that draft based off his potential. But we now know he kinda sucks at the NBA level at least. Who knows, if he played the whole season at Memphis maybe scouts would have gotten a more accurate view of him and he would've dropped. That happens to players all the time, just look at Isaiah Collier. I'm looking at the nba player Wiseman ended up being, not the pie in the sky potential prospect he was back then.

You are evaluating the conditional expectation of Wiseman with future information and comparing that to Edey's present day expectation. Once again using future information to set retrospective expectation.

[lastb1ckman]

College doesn't transfer to NBA 1 to 1, we all know that. But I don't like saying that a guy that struggles in the NBA would just dominate college, especially if he never really played there. And we're not talking about the typical lottery center numbers of like 15-20 a game, we're talking 25-30 pts &10 rebounds player of the year numbers for multiple seasons. Based on what we know of Wiseman's growth curve now and his mental flaws, I think its ok to say he probably isn't averaging 30 & 10.

[Big J]

If Wiseman was fed like Edey this season he'd easily average 30 & 10 against college guys. Hell, if Wiseman had that kind of usage in the NBA he'd average 20 & 10. The issue is that like Edey, his D sucks, and it's is an inefficient way to run your team.

[HMFFL]

A players mindset is one of the most difficult things to figure out. Wiseman never had it, he has a motor, so that was appealing to scouts, but he doesn't have the mindset to be great.

[FarBeyondDriven]

maybe someday Wiseman is going to finally find himself in a situation where a team will be forced to play him out of necessity or a HC will just say screw it and he'll produce and establish himself as a starting center in the NBA.

[JonHeist]

Wiseman might have been able to put up 30/10

but he ain't leading that team to the final four

[The Moose]

James Wiseman joining Adrian Dantley, Larry Bird and Hank Gathers as the only players in the 30 & 10 NCAA club in the past 50 years.

Seems legit for sure

[The Moose]

Teams say Edey's range appears to be in the Nos. 9-19 range based on the workouts he has conducted and scheduled. He was with the Toronto Raptors this past week, will visit the Los Angeles Lakers, and is in the conversation at Memphis (9), Utah (10), Chicago (11), Oklahoma City (12), Portland (14) and Miami (15).

Several teams say Edey's productivity ranks him as a top-three prospect in this class according to their draft models -- ESPN's Kevin Pelton had him ranked No. 2 in his stats-only draft projections. He proved nearly unstoppable in the paint at the college level, drawing fouls, crashing the offensive glass and dismantling defenses with his screening and the incredible gravity he offers diving to the rim in pick-and-roll, helping Purdue shoot 40% from the 3-point line. -- Givony

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/38788364/2024-nba-draft-rankings-espn-top-25-prospects

I think he winds up in Memphis or Miami

[Big J]

Teams say Edey's range appears to be in the Nos. 9-19 range based on the workouts he has conducted and scheduled. He was with the Toronto Raptors this past week, will visit the Los Angeles Lakers, and is in the conversation at Memphis (9), Utah (10), Chicago (11), Oklahoma City (12), Portland (14) and Miami (15).

Several teams say Edey's productivity ranks him as a top-three prospect in this class according to their draft models -- ESPN's Kevin Pelton had him ranked No. 2 in his stats-only draft projections. He proved nearly unstoppable in the paint at the college level, drawing fouls, crashing the offensive glass and dismantling defenses with his screening and the incredible gravity he offers diving to the rim in pick-and-roll, helping Purdue shoot 40% from the 3-point line. -- Givony

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/38788364/2024-nba-draft-rankings-espn-top-25-prospects

I think he winds up in Memphis or Miami

Miami would probably be the only place that makes sense considering how much zone defense they play.

[FrodoBaggins]

Edey would be good in a number of spots. The standouts to me are Memphis, Miami, and New York if Hartenstein leaves. I also like him in Washington, Oklahoma, LA, and Milwaukee but those teams are a harder sell for various reasons.

Hopefully, Memphis doesn't overthink it. Zach can be their long-term starting center for the Ja Morant era. He'll be on an affordable rookie contract which is nice. Going after a Jonas Val or another free agent center wouldn't be wise IMO. Waste of salary cap on an aging player.

[babyjax13]

Edey would be good in a number of spots. The standouts to me are Memphis, Miami, and New York if Hartenstein leaves. I also like him in Washington, Oklahoma, LA, and Milwaukee but those teams are a harder sell for various reasons.

Hopefully, Memphis doesn't overthink it. Zach can be their long-term starting center for the Ja Morant era. He'll be on an affordable rookie contract which is nice. Going after a Jonas Val or another free agent center wouldn't be wise IMO. Waste of salary cap on an aging player.

He seems like the WORST possible fit with Ja. He's not going to add anything in transition and he will cut off driving lanes. I do think he can be a viable starter in the archetype of Jonas Valannciunas or Jusuf Nurkic, but bigger and a bit slower (with worse passing, I think he processes the game a bit slow at times). I think he's worthy of a pick from 10-20 if a team needs that, but I don't see star, and I do see bust potential to be out of the league.

[Yuri Vaultin]

Golden State would be ideal to utilize his size and passing.

[FrodoBaggins]

Edey would be good in a number of spots. The standouts to me are Memphis, Miami, and New York if Hartenstein leaves. I also like him in Washington, Oklahoma, LA, and Milwaukee but those teams are a harder sell for various reasons.

Hopefully, Memphis doesn't overthink it. Zach can be their long-term starting center for the Ja Morant era. He'll be on an affordable rookie contract which is nice. Going after a Jonas Val or another free agent center wouldn't be wise IMO. Waste of salary cap on an aging player.

He seems like the WORST possible fit with Ja. He's not going to add anything in transition and he will cut off driving lanes. I do think he can be a viable starter in the archetype of Jonas Valannciunas or Jusuf Nurkic, but bigger and a bit slower (with worse passing, I think he processes the game a bit slow at times). I think he's worthy of a pick from 10-20 if a team needs that, but I don't see star, and I do see bust potential to be out of the league.

I seriously question your analysis if you truly believe that. Zach is a monster screener, roller, finisher, and offensive rebounder. All are qualities we know synergize well with Ja Morant and Taylor Jenkins' Grizzlies. He works best with a wide-bodied physical center that sets brick wall screens to free him up to get downhill. And that can clean up the misses from his wild rim attacks that like prime Westbrook draw extra help defense inside.

They're not looking for a star. Just a center that can replace Steven Adams. And Clingan and Edey are the best candidates from this draft. Either they trade up for Donovan, pick Edey with the 9th, or acquire an existing NBA center through free agency or a trade.

And I'm not going to entertain the slow comments. Been discussed ad nauseum. Read this thread to gain a deeper understanding of Zach's athleticism and skill set.

[JRoy]

Hoping POR takes him.

If MEM is interested at 9 POR could just take him at 7.

[babyjax13]

Edey would be good in a number of spots. The standouts to me are Memphis, Miami, and New York if Hartenstein leaves. I also like him in Washington, Oklahoma, LA, and Milwaukee but those teams are a harder sell for various reasons.

Hopefully, Memphis doesn't overthink it. Zach can be their long-term starting center for the Ja Morant era. He'll be on an affordable rookie contract which is nice. Going after a Jonas Val or another free agent center wouldn't be wise IMO. Waste of salary cap on an aging player.

He seems like the WORST possible fit with Ja. He's not going to add anything in transition and he will cut off driving lanes. I do think he can be a viable starter in the archetype of Jonas Valannciunas or Jusuf Nurkic, but bigger and a bit slower (with worse passing, I think he processes the game a bit slow at times). I think he's worthy of a pick from 10-20 if a team needs that, but I don't see star, and I do see bust potential to be out of the league.

I seriously question your analysis if you truly believe that. Zach is a monster screener, roller, finisher, and offensive rebounder. All are qualities we know synergize well with Ja Morant and Taylor Jenkins' Grizzlies. He works best with a wide-bodied physical center that sets brick wall screens to free him up to get downhill. And that can clean up the misses from his wild rim attacks that like prime Westbrook draw extra help defense inside.

They're not looking for a star. Just a center that can replace Steven Adams. And Clingan and Edey are the best candidates from this draft. Either they trade up for Donovan, pick Edey with the 9th, or acquire an existing NBA center through free agency or a trade.

And I'm not going to entertain the slow comments. Been discussed ad nauseum. Read this thread to gain a deeper understanding of Zach's athleticism and skill set.

Edey isn't going to be a three point threat yet, teams are (and should) going to just play drop coverage to contain Ja's drives. I'm also well aware of Edey's combine numbers, but he is not a great in game athlete. He's big and strong and does most of his work in postups, that's what makes him special, and when you take that away and turn him into a pnr player exclusively, what will he be? With how slow he is, will his rolling be effective, or will his strength mean he can just move through a center that drops? IMO he's going to be best with a point guard who is a major shooting threat and on a team that can still use his post ups from time to time. I don't think that is Memphis. You are proposing that he be a fundamentally different player than he is (66 percent of his scoring comes from postups) and I don't see that happening in year 1, or perhaps ever.