Zach Edey Conundrum - Could Edey be the next great Atlanta Hawk or is he the next Cam Reddish

[AHF]

10 hours ago, bird_dirt said:

 

Oooooohhhhh…. You’re talking this is the last year for Ignite. Your first response to my post I thought you were talking about the last year for UK. I’m guessing @AHF may have thought the same, too. 

That is correct.  I thought Supes was talking about this being the last year with top prospects for UK.

I don't consider it a success for Ignite to have a bunch of picks when the team was deliberately stocked with top talent coming out of high school.  They were guaranteed to have a bunch of picks by how the team was built.  Success for the Ignite is about how effectively they developed those players and, of course, to some degree the W/L record of the team could be said to be a measure of how successful the team is. 

[Mikey]

https://hoopshype.com/lists/2024-aggregate-mock-draft-zac-risacher-nikola-topic-cody-williams-reed-sheppard-rising/

Some less than endearing quotes for executives for Edey in here

[Gray Mule]

18 minutes ago, Mikey said:

https://hoopshype.com/lists/2024-aggregate-mock-draft-zac-risacher-nikola-topic-cody-williams-reed-sheppard-rising/

Some less than endearing quotes for executives for Edey in here

He's big!  Hawks really need big!  Imagine Trae tossing lobs his way!  I read this.  A big key for me - "He shoots his free throws well!"  Because he's ranked #27 here, this means he should be available when it's our turn to draft.  Most Squawk posters expect someone to replace Capela on our roster next season.  Yves Missi was listed far ahead of Edey, but he's 6" shorter!  He's also a bad free throw shooter...

[KB21]

40 minutes ago, Mikey said:

https://hoopshype.com/lists/2024-aggregate-mock-draft-zac-risacher-nikola-topic-cody-williams-reed-sheppard-rising/

Some less than endearing quotes for executives for Edey in here

Purdue senior Zach Edey leads college basketball in scoring (24.2), ranks third in rebounds (11.7), and plays primarily with his back to the basket like a traditional center from decades ago.

“Edey might become the back-to-back Player of the Year,” a longtime NBA executive told HoopsHype. “He’s huge and can score down low, but we don’t play that way. He’s someone that I think can be able to step outside eventually because he shoots free throws well. If he gets switched out on the perimeter, however, he won’t be able to stop anyone.”

Until Edey becomes more of a perimeter threat, NBA talent evaluators question his long-term fit as a pro.

“People are talking about Edey going in the first round and I’m asking myself if we’re really talking about a situational big man in the first round?” an NBA scout told HoopsHype. “Is he going to be a starter? No. Is he going to be a backup every night? Probably not. He’s Boban Marjanovic in my opinion.”

[NBASupes]

I am realizing that how NBA fans and some scouts see Trae is how Edey is seen by those people. With KB being another one just like them. 

All Trae does is bait. He's trash, he just has a green light. Anyone can do what Trae does. I wouldn't trade anyone from Brooklyn but Ben Simmons for Trae - Scal. 

Say you don't know shit without saying you don't know shit 

[ ]

[NBASupes]

24 minutes ago, KB21 said:

Purdue senior Zach Edey leads college basketball in scoring (24.2), ranks third in rebounds (11.7), and plays primarily with his back to the basket like a traditional center from decades ago.

“Edey might become the back-to-back Player of the Year,” a longtime NBA executive told HoopsHype. “He’s huge and can score down low, but we don’t play that way. He’s someone that I think can be able to step outside eventually because he shoots free throws well. If he gets switched out on the perimeter, however, he won’t be able to stop anyone.”

Until Edey becomes more of a perimeter threat, NBA talent evaluators question his long-term fit as a pro.

“People are talking about Edey going in the first round and I’m asking myself if we’re really talking about a situational big man in the first round?” an NBA scout told HoopsHype. “Is he going to be a starter? No. Is he going to be a backup every night? Probably not. He’s Boban Marjanovic in my opinion.”

A lot of stupid shit and this is by far the most idiotic shit I've ever read. 

This is the equalivent to Trae just baits. He's trash and can't play. His numbers are fake and you can't win with him because he's awful at Basketball. I hate stupid people 

[NBASupes]

Too many idiots with awful opinions. 

How the f*** is he anything like Boban? Hell, even though I disagree with the comp, at least Zubac runs big man actions. He's just not great at any of it and never has been. 

If you hate his game, that's fine. I have no problem with that but when [some anonymous NBA executive] say[s] shit like this, I know [he] do[esn]'t know what [he is] talking about. 

What is old school about his game. It's all movement and mental acuity. No one was doing that shit in the 80s or 90s. Much less the 2000s and now days, bigs aren't even post up guys anymore outside of favorable matchups. Just be honest and say, I ain't never seen a mfer like Edey before and honestly,.I don't know what you make of him. He's dominating but his post game is average for a legit NBA prospect that's a low post presence. He's crazy productive but he's just looks big. Maybe he's Boban or Tacko Fall. When a dumb idiot says this, just say, [he] do[es]n't know what the f*** [he is] watching. 

[KB21]

The majority of his point production is absolutely through Purdue getting him post up opportunities.  It's one of the reasons they have one of the slowest offenses in college.  They feed Edey in the post.  He's not going to be fed in the post in the NBA.  

[NBASupes]

@KB21

I am not mad at you bro. At all. But I get pissed when i hear stupidity and it's backed by arrogance. You don't have to like anyone you don't like. But be honest. When [people say stuff like the quotes above], it's obvious [they] aren't watching and that's not to you. You have been even knell even if you don't like his game or see it like I do. 

It's some of these scouts. I've had battles with them online and in chats. It's like we are worlds apart

[NBASupes]

10 minutes ago, KB21 said:

The majority of his point production is absolutely through Purdue getting him post up opportunities.  It's one of the reasons they have one of the slowest offenses in college.  They feed Edey in the post.  He's not going to be fed in the post in the NBA.  

Most of it is in movement bro. It's screen setting, movement off the ball, positioning, it's rolling, it's setting up position on put backs. He plays the game at an elite mental level. There is nothing mentally he isn't insane at. 

That's his greatest strength but physically, healthy, and motor/stamina. He's insane as well in that. 

We haven't seen anyone like Edey. No one and I've tracked every big since 1970. Every single one. The only one close is Karl Malone. That's it. No one else is even close. I honestly think in the half court, he's better as a prospect. In the open court, obviously Karl, one of the best transition bigs in NBA history. 

If you look at any other big, they don't come close offensively. 

Defensively, he's a poor man's Rudy Gobert. That's slightly worse projection wise than prime Atlanta Capela? So offensively, Karl Malone and defensively, a slightly worse Clint in the ECF season projection wise. 

And yes, Stockton massively changed Karl's long term projection which was 17ppg to what it became but that's on Utah for smart scouting. You have an elite off ball movement big man, give him a f***ing PG that can make life easy as hell for him. 

I am all in on this kid. I see a 17ppg scorer who will have crazy good per36 stats and with us, my God, I see a perennial MVP candidate. So yes, I am all in. 

When someone doesn't have a prototype. We should just judge them for what they are. Haliburton would have been a top 3 pick if that was the case instead of falling out of the top 10. 

 

Here is Shaq, one of the only players to master off ball movement in the low post. Edey has as well. 

 

 

 

Edited March 15 by NBASupes

[KB21]

OK.  So if Purdue cut their offense down from 18.6% post ups to around 3% post ups, do you think Zach Edey is still averaging 26 PPG or whatever it is that he's averaging?  

Offensively, he doesn't have the explosive athleticism that guys like Shaq, Hakeem, David Robinson... had.  Defensively, Rudy Gobert at his pinnacle was much quicker and had lot more second leap athleticism than Edey.  I'd come a lot closer to saying Clingan is a poor man's Gobert than I would Edey.  

[NBASupes]

6 minutes ago, KB21 said:

OK.  So if Purdue cut their offense down from 18.6% post ups to around 3% post ups, do you think Zach Edey is still averaging 26 PPG or whatever it is that he's averaging?  

Offensively, he doesn't have the explosive athleticism that guys like Shaq, Hakeem, David Robinson... had.  Defensively, Rudy Gobert at his pinnacle was much quicker and had lot more second leap athleticism than Edey.  I'd come a lot closer to saying Clingan is a poor man's Gobert than I would Edey.  

Purdue runs their offense through Edey as a #1 option. He won't be used like that in the NBA for no one. He still will be heavily used on actions and he's not going to change his game. He's still going to roll, post up and fight for position and use his elite mental acuity to get in the best position possible based on what's going on around him. He's got to get a lot of post touches if he gets elite positioning. Why? Because thats no man's land and that's either a bucket or drawing FTA. Also he's a smart roller with elite hands and body control for his size. He can finish with contact. 

He's his own player. Please look at him as such. He's not going to go anywhere and change that and if it does, he's not going to be successful. He's an off ball movement big who's an elite helper and he's elite at positioning. That's his game. That will work at any level. Anyone saying they don't play like that, well, mfer, you don't have Zach Edey.

[NBASupes]

That's how mfer bust in the NBA. Teams draft them and want them to play like a prototype. f*** that. 

I want Zach to play like Zach. 

Zach, move constantly like you always do and execute the offense like you always do. Continue to be an elite screen setter. I want you to continue patience rolls at the rim and give Trae multiple outlets with the rock. I want you to hit the post and instantly do like you do. Fight for post position and yourself into scoring position so you can either score or draw the foul and get these damn starting centers out of the rotation due to foul trouble. I want you to be you. 

Movement

Screens

Non stop motor

High mental acuity

Elite Helper

Working with Trae like Brayden so you know his angles. 

I want to outwork the post defender. Get his lazy ass in foul trouble. I want you to continue to be relentless. 

I am not gonna get Westbrook and say, you know what, I want you to play like Mike Bibby. Patient. Understanding the game at an extreme level. Running the offense to the best of its capabilities. No, I want relentless ass Russ to be Russ. 

I want Edey to be Edey. I want a truly elite offense. I want teams to bitch about Trae baiting and Edey being big. I want that shit. I need that shit. 

[NBASupes]

34 minutes ago, KB21 said:

Offensively, he doesn't have the explosive athleticism that guys like Shaq, Hakeem, David Robinson... had.  Defensively, Rudy Gobert at his pinnacle was much quicker and had lot more second leap athleticism than Edey.  I'd come a lot closer to saying Clingan is a poor man's Gobert than I would Edey.  

He's an off ball player movement, he don't have to have their on ball ability or fluidity. He's not like those guys. He doesnt have to have their skill set. Clingan don't have the mental acuity to be any form of Gobert. Clingan is more like Kessler with more positive offensive traits and less defensive ones. Still, Kessler is legit and I believe Clingan will be too on D. 

Here's a scout that doesn't even like Edey and likes his defense way more than you do

 

 

Edited March 15 by NBASupes

[KB21]

3 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

He's an off ball player movement, he don't have to have their on ball ability or fluidity. He's not like those guys. He doesnt have to have their skill set. Clingan don't have the mental acuity to be any form of Gobert. Clingan is more like Kessler with more positive offensive traits and less defensive ones. Still, Kessler is legit and I believe Clingan will be too on D. 

He does need that fluidity in the modern NBA.  Teams are simply not going to limit themselves enough to make him a focal point of the offense like he is at Purdue, especially with is obvious defensive limitations.  

Even when Clint was a high-level roll man on the pick and roll with Trae, his usage never got above 16%.  

 

[NBASupes]

2 minutes ago, KB21 said:

He does need that fluidity in the modern NBA.  Teams are simply not going to limit themselves enough to make him a focal point of the offense like he is at Purdue, especially with is obvious defensive limitations.  

Even when Clint was a high-level roll man on the pick and roll with Trae, his usage never got above 16%.  

 

He's been excelling with poor fluidity and will continue to do so. He's 7'4 306 pounds with a 7'10.5 wingspan and he's a great athlete for his size. That's not going to go away. Like I said with Knecht and Shannon, their size is still legit even in the NBA at SG. 

He doesn't have to be the focal point anywhere he goes including here. At Purdue, it makes sense, look at the results

https://evanmiya.com/

Most of Clint European usage is around 21-22. The ECF final year was his highest at 19.9. This is for a center who doesn't have the feel for the game like Edey, touch, body control, hands, BBIQ, finishing, ability to draw fouls, and lord knows he can never draw a double team and he has poor hands. Why would you want to give Capela more usage. If anything, 19.9 is too much and we went to the ECF finals that year. Common sense will tell you why you want to give Karl Malone more touches than Jon Koncak. 

[NBASupes]

PnR defense from Purdue @KB21

 

[Sothron]

The more tape of Edey I watch the more I like the kid. Supes is right, there's honestly no one outside Yao that you can compare him to. He's not Big Country (who ppl forget before his injuries he was a good NBA center) that needed a lot of low post ups in order to generate offense. Edey moves around in the post and finds little spots on the floor for a quick post up or a hook. 

His touch around the rim is elite. He is much better on defense than people give him credit for. 

We have two first round picks or should in this draft. I hope we take Edey. Use the other pick on a wing defender.

[Mikey]

22 hours ago, KB21 said:

OK.  So if Purdue cut their offense down from 18.6% post ups to around 3% post ups, do you think Zach Edey is still averaging 26 PPG or whatever it is that he's averaging?  

Offensively, he doesn't have the explosive athleticism that guys like Shaq, Hakeem, David Robinson... had.  Defensively, Rudy Gobert at his pinnacle was much quicker and had lot more second leap athleticism than Edey.  I'd come a lot closer to saying Clingan is a poor man's Gobert than I would Edey.  

Cligan is way closer to gobert-lite than Edey is and its not even close

[NBASupes]

This was a bad game for Edey in my eyes but with Smith being terrible. I wonder how much that had an impact. Defense was hit or miss as well. Smith couldn't turn the corner and man was he bad today.