Ed Wood wrote:Edey should be an NBA player, but it's much harder to articulate what his really valuable NBA existence amounts to and the fact that he had such a singular college career deserves to be accounted for, but when stacking him up to a lot of the other great bigs of recent decades everybody who's in the conversation was either much younger and easier to project as a pro (and that group generally did succeed often exceedingly at the NBA level - your Anthony Davis, Greg Oden [he was a very good pro to the extent he was able to play professional basketball], DeMarcus Cousins) or if also someone who grew into a force as an upperclassmen we're talking like Frank Kaminsky, Luka Garza, Jock Landale, Ryan Kalkbrenner... I agree that he can be a more assertive defender if he weren't on a roster that just cannot compete with other good college teams without him on the floor, but he actually had a somewhat similar overall sophomore year to Clingan's in a lot of ways, including not being so essential to his team and so playing more limited minutes, and he wasn't the defender Clingan is when he wasn't obliged to throttle down. Edey should be drafted, and he will, but I think I have enough late draft curiosities that I don't know there's a spot I'd want to draft him and figure out how to make it happen.
Hey welcome back my friend. Yes I'm the only one this high on Zack Edey. (And even then I wish we could get him late. On a swap of Kuz for a mid-pick. I don't think he's there at 26).
I've been pushing the renaissance of Bigs for a while, since I predicted small ball would start to swing the other way. And I'm working on convincing my own self if not anybody else, but the league keeps chipping away with rules emphases that seem to trend back in that direction. We are still in a bombs away era for 3pt shooting, but in the playoffs teams are getting bigger. League rules to eliminate tickytack fouls have let defenders get more bold on the perimeter, effectively snuffing the combo guard era. Perimeter players are getting longer as teams idolize rangy switchability on the outside. Shooters are shooting from farther out than ever, and in the regular season we still see a bombardment of long range gunnery. But It switches in the postseason though as the possession game becomes the focus, things slow down, scouting more intense, and high percentage shots are gold. Looks to me like in this environment the big boys advance.
Funny to say: 'except for HOFers, defenders, and shooters, we don't see Centers in the league'. Well yeah. I mean, aside from ballhandlers, snipers, and supernova talents we don't see guards in the league. Those are the roles. The role of a center is to be big, deter easy baskets underneath. The ball still has to go towards the basket. The big guy is closest to it. It's still a key role if you can utilize it. All the counters to that are decoys.
The way I see it, there's opportunity for a smart team to meet big with bigger. As an option. Let them shoot from outside with their big. Jokic is about the only guy I want bombing away from the top of the key. Wemby started the year out there until Pop forced him to drop low where his huge-itude proved most effective. Thing is players like Porzingis, Chet, et all, struggle to stop the true giants. My belief is the counter to the Unicorns is an Ogre. Let their guntower bigs huck from outside. They will miss 60-some percent of those shots. You can control the game if you can collect every rebound. Limit the opportunities for wild swings. Yes, sure. Challenge the perimeter with length of your own. Switchable rangy wings. Force a few misses. They leave the interior open for your monster. You hoover up every bounce. Then walk it up and beat hell into them at the other end. Pass into the interior with your tall wings. Stuff it down their throats with an unstoppable monster.
Teams like OKC give up on offensive rebounds. Teams like NYK feast with them. You can win both ways. Personally I like the option. If you have the possibility to go huge, you can force them to play your game. Control the possession game. At both ends. Doesn't have to be pretty. I just see there's an opportunity here that teams are missing. And you know, I'm smarter than everybody. A true visionary. So people ought to all listen to me. Naturally.
I also am of the mind that the NIL era will begin to pay off with players more than projects. The hypertalents will always jump, but nowadays underdeveloped athletes have a chance to gamble on their own talents and work to improve their games to the extent where you may get value from guys who actually use the college experience for what it is worth: to develop leadership, skill, work on their body etc. Where we will especially see benefits is with Centers. Who take longer to develop. The league has been plagued with raw giants for a while, Wiseman or Ayton or Duren or whomever. Guys who have all the talent in the world but it doesn't lead to wins. I don't think it's because basketball hates bigs. I think it is because they don't know how to truly use their advantage. I am enjoying the rebirth of the Big at the college level, and feel like that has to pay dividends at some point with more complete players coming into the league that know their role and are not trying to be giant guards.
A guy like Edey got better every year. Working on exactly what he was asked to do. Playing within his limitations, but pushing his own boundaries. He will instantly be the biggest player in the league. I think he didn't just coast on size but added skill and challenged himself. Is he a Boban? A mythical giant who is highly efficient on offense but unplayable in the modern game? Or is he a throwback, an interior force that requires opposing coaches to make an adjustment, and by doing so changes the game. Can he work to fit in this league. Me I am gambling on the possibility that his dominance translates. He is already a sure-fire HOFer at the NCAA level. He has not gotten worse every year or coasted. In the right environment he is going to be a problem that playoff teams will have to deal with. If you gave that guy to coach Spo, or Thibbs, or Pop, you don't think they will find a way to use him? A dminant offensive rebounder and instant bucket on any touch. Bigger than any other guy on any other team. Does not get tired. Works hard in the gym and offseasons. Now put him in Heat culture. Play him next to Bam. Who will stop that 4-to-5 interior pass? Or make him miss. Coach Spo can't work with that? A complete player with a definite role. The Heat don't like that guy?
In your formulation above of "we don't see any centers except HOF guys..." etc, well, there is an outside chance that to me Edey's skillset does translate. And if it does as it did in college, then yeah, he is cast as one of those Naismith bronzes for his NBA career as well. IF so then yeah there will be a lot of foreheads smacked that we shoulda seed it comin'. But I will say nothing, won't even be smug about it.
& Ousmane Dieng in '23.
