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

[JayBirdHawk]

16 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

He's a movement big and those aren't old school by nature of how the game played at the time. Even low post movement has only been a thing from Shaq 01-06. Likely due to the fact that you have to be great a getting position on the block and of course, that's something Edey is renowned for.

 

what do you think?

 

I have a bad knee and can still beat Edey in a foot race 

Seriously though - It's an good video in general.  We know he has the moves in the paintIt will be interesting to see what his workout tape running these same drills would look like a year later. 

My main questions are:

1. can he make that move he did from the top of the key off the dribble against a real NBA defense.  I think he'll get the ball stolen the minute he puts it on the ground.

2. How quickly can he establish position against bigger NBA players and will he be able to pass out of those quicker double teams against quicker longer players.

3. I'm concerned his dribbling is too slow and will get stripped by guys digging down once he gets rooted from the paint.

4. Has he shot any face up jump shots in college this year?

[NBASupes]

Just now, JayBirdHawk said:

I have a bad knee can still beat Edey in a foot race 

Seriously though - It's an good video in general.  We know he has the moves in the paintIt will be interesting to see what his workout tape running these same drills would look like a year later. 

My main questions are:

1. can he make that move he did from the top of the key off the dribble against a real NBA defense.  I think he'll get the ball stolen the minute he puts it on the ground.

2. How quickly can he establish position against bigger NBA players and will he be able to pass out of those quicker double teams against quicker longer players.

3. I'm concerned his dribbling is too slow and will get stripped by guys digging down once he gets rooted from the paint.

4. Has he shot any face up jump shots in college this year?

You must be fast as hell, you can beat, Gradey d*ck, Kevin Durant, and every other 7fter as well. 

https://www.nba.com/stats/draft/combine-strength-agility?dir=A&sort=LANE_AGILITY_TIME&SeasonYear=2007-08

https://www.nba.com/stats/draft/combine-strength-agility?dir=A&sort=LANE_AGILITY_TIME&SeasonYear=2023-24

It really is. We know he got a nice shooting touch from just watching him play but this puts it into perspective. I remember when I see JC pro day workout after we picked him. I was like. I wonder if its real, it was.

1. I think the poor fluidity will limit most self creation. I think we see some of it at Purdue because they lack options. It's not part of his best data either. It shows that he's not. In the NBA, I can see his post touches going down a ton while they will focus on movement more with him since we are one of the best since Trae been in the NBA at paint touches. 

2. I definitely believe this will translate for him on any team. I am not a fan of his post up volume but I am a fan when he seals and gets into deep post position due to his movement. That works in any league in the world. Especially with his touch, finishing, movement, body control, and mental acuity. 

3. That's fluidity and that's will be the big battle. Avoiding situations where his fluidity or lack thereof will be exposed will be notable 

4. Just a couple from what I saw and it was late in the shot clock so none that seemed to be within the flow of the offense but he's not allowed to either. 

[JayBirdHawk]

Just now, NBASupes said:

You must be fast as hell, you can beat, Gradey d*ck, Kevin Durant, and every other 7fter as well.

Hell yeah. I ran track.

[NBASupes]

Nothing makes me tick more when [someone] calls Edey old school. Let's just say he's an old school back to the basket big. He's not even that good at it. His post ups are in the 82% for college kids. His left post is his favorite and he's at 49% doing it which is a far cry from freshman like Jah Okafor. He's not even a draftable low post big. He might be two way contract at best. 

He's a movement big and even better, he's a movement big with low post movement and big man movement due to his motor, size, and stamina. Add that his screens are elite and his mental acuity is off the charts. Nothing about his production is by mistake. When he played with Jaden Ivey and T. Williams who were NBA prospects as a Soph, his per40 was 30ppg+. 

This is not by mistake. He's essentially the big man's Klay Thompson offensively but more dangerous because he's close to the basket 

[KB21]

1 hour ago, NBASupes said:

1. Clint is Trae best PnR threat in his career and he's a patience rim runner and even then, Edey has tremendous catch radius and hands which make him a completely different type of lob threat. Also, please, let's not forget how value screens are. Edey is an elite screen setter. In the class of Sabonis and Gobert. That's a massive value add especially for attacking as a PnR ball handler for anyone, much less a juggernaut like Trae. 

2. Purdue offense is fairly quick when they run their offense through Smith with Edey as the helper. So I don't find this to be a valid statement. Yes, it's slow when it's high lows and running through Edey but it's also extremely efficient and effective. Our pace has gone down without Trae as we have to rely on ball movement to score. What's our pace without Trae, 23rd and it's not like our offense is that bad. We are what, 14th since Trae been out?

They can sag all day, if he's coming at you with his gravity and ability to finish and draw fouls, you got to keep him out of the restricted area. That's not a worry for anyone with Capela. Poor hands, more of a lob threat, no one is worried about Clint on the roll and it's not a lob. He doesn't have the ability to finish through contact due to his coordination and body control for his size. Edey does and he can draw fouls at an elite rate. 

The problem we have is you see Edey as this scrub who's just big. You don't see him for what he really is. A movement monster who has movement as a big and he has the low post movement we haven't seen since LA/Miami Shaq. 

Every year, we see Clint at the bottom of finishing at the rim and you wonder why teams sag. Come on @KB21, let's be honest, don't lie to yourself. We got his data and his film. This is obvious to a blind man. His production is his production. If he couldn't do it, then the data would show it. 

Prime Clint was a great finisher on pick and rolls as the roll man.  The issue with Clint over the last two years is that he has lost his springy athleticism.  

[NBASupes]

7 minutes ago, KB21 said:

Prime Clint was a great finisher on pick and rolls as the roll man.  The issue with Clint over the last two years is that he has lost his springy athleticism.  

He's always been a great rim running finisher but he's always been a poor finisher in traffic which is why teams sell out for the lob. Always. Where as Edey is one of the best we have seen that's not just a rim runner like young Clint or Daniel Gafford 

Edited March 20 by NBASupes

[KB21]

35 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

Nothing makes me tick more when a fool calls Edey old school. Let's just say he's an old school back to the basket big. He's not even that good at it. His post ups are in the 82% for college kids. His left post is his favorite and he's at 49% doing it which is a far cry from freshman like Jah Okafor. He's not even a draftable low post big. He might be two way contract at best. 

He's a movement big and even better, he's a movement big with low post movement and big man movement due to his motor, size, and stamina. Add that his screens are elite and his mental acuity is off the charts. Nothing about his production is by mistake. When he played with Jaden Ivey and T. Williams who were NBA prospects as a Soph, his per40 was 30ppg+. 

This is not by mistake. He's essentially the big man's Klay Thompson offensively but more dangerous because he's close to the basket 

A movement big should actually be able to move.  He's too slow.  Everything is methodical.  There is no explosiveness.  No burst.  No second leap athleticism.  He's too big.  

We are completely ignoring how he constrains the team defensively.  

[NBASupes]

1 minute ago, KB21 said:

A movement big should actually be able to move.  He's too slow.  Everything is methodical.  There is no explosiveness.  No burst.  No second leap athleticism.  He's too big.  

We are completely ignoring how he constrains the team defensively.  

He is moving well for his size and playing at a pace. We seen the same thing from Jokic to a degree. 

You don't have to be fluid to be a movement player. You just need mental acuity to know where to go on the fly, you need stamina, you need athleticism which he has for his size. To be a low post movement big, size and motor are key but you need a lot of strength and ability to handle abuse. You can do more damage being methodical if you know what you are doing. 

He lacks fluidity. I know. I've said it a thousand times. We are all aware of it and it's the big reason why he has the naysayers has and some people hate watching his game. 

He's 7'4 306, rim protects, paint protects, boxes out, tough rebounder, and he's has elite mental acuity on D. He has to work to be a good defender but he should already be a B- to be B level drop defender from day 1. We know he's no Walker Kessler on that end. No one is confusing him to be the next great defensive big. He's gonna have to get experience in the NBA and watch tape of Marc Gasol to see how to master angles or even work with Trae who's finally doing that under Quin this year on D. 

[Mikey]

On 3/19/2024 at 6:41 PM, NBASupes said:

@REHawksFan @Gray Mule @JayBirdHawk @KB21 @AHF @Mikey

 

 

Im still picking against them LOL. But if its ever a year they can get a deep run this is it. Bracket is set up for them to get out the region

[KB21]

17 hours ago, NBASupes said:

He is moving well for his size and playing at a pace. We seen the same thing from Jokic to a degree. 

You don't have to be fluid to be a movement player. You just need mental acuity to know where to go on the fly, you need stamina, you need athleticism which he has for his size. To be a low post movement big, size and motor are key but you need a lot of strength and ability to handle abuse. You can do more damage being methodical if you know what you are doing. 

He lacks fluidity. I know. I've said it a thousand times. We are all aware of it and it's the big reason why he has the naysayers has and some people hate watching his game. 

He's 7'4 306, rim protects, paint protects, boxes out, tough rebounder, and he's has elite mental acuity on D. He has to work to be a good defender but he should already be a B- to be B level drop defender from day 1. We know he's no Walker Kessler on that end. No one is confusing him to be the next great defensive big. He's gonna have to get experience in the NBA and watch tape of Marc Gasol to see how to master angles or even work with Trae who's finally doing that under Quin this year on D. 

If he's moving well for his size, then the size is the issue.  

[NBASupes]

35 minutes ago, KB21 said:

If he's moving well for his size, then the size is the issue.  

He's moving way better than you think 

When we have the speed and distance available next year, he will be one of the high end bigs on the list

Edited March 21 by NBASupes

[hylndr11]

1 hour ago, NBASupes said:

He's moving way better than you think 

When we have the speed and distance available next year, he will be one of the high end bigs on the list

What are you referring to when you say speed and distance next year ?

[NBASupes]

8 minutes ago, hylndr11 said:

What are you referring to when you say speed and distance next year ?

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance?PlayerPosition=C&dir=D&sort=AVG_SPEED

[hylndr11]

22 minutes ago, NBASupes said:

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance?PlayerPosition=C&dir=D&sort=AVG_SPEED

good to know we have one of the slowest center lineups as well lol

[NBASupes]

28 minutes ago, hylndr11 said:

good to know we have one of the slowest center lineups as well lol

They do a lot of standing around without the ball. Standing around hurts your movement 

[KB21]

The Ultimate 2024 NCAA Tournament NBA Draft Prospect Guide (noceilingsnba.com)

Quote

Zach Edey needs no introduction. The 7’4” big man has dominated college basketball for the past two seasons. It’s not just that he’s tall; he’s also strong and he doesn’t gas out. The man weighs 300 pounds. His end-to-end speed has improved, and he’s managed to play over 30 MPG in back-to-back seasons. He’s an unstoppable interior force on offense. Even fouling Edey doesn’t slow him down, as he’s a 71.8% free throw shooter on over ten attempts per game. Double-teaming doesn’t work either, as he’s a smart passer who reads defensive rotations quickly. He dominates on the glass. Teams avoid going into the paint when he’s anchoring the Boilermakers’ defense. He’s a nightmare to deal with.

Still, he remains a lightning rod in draft circles. On one hand, he’s outrageously productive, posting two straight seasons with a BPM over 15. His sheer size, power, and skill is an exceptionally rare combination. Conversely, NBA big men are now more mobile and agile than ever before. He struggles mightily against pick-and-pop plays, and the association’s “defensive three seconds” rule could trip him up defensively. Additionally, underdog teams have managed to knock off Purdue early in the tournament these past few years. When Fairleigh Dickinson did it last year, a big part of their gameplan was making Edey guard in space.

This is going to be Zach Edey’s last hurrah in college hoops. The stakes couldn’t be any higher. If Edey is able to answer questions about how well he holds up in space under the brightest of lights, there will be much less contention around him as a first-round pick. However, if Purdue falters early in the tournament yet again, the scoffers will be more than ready to make their voices heard.

Blurb from No Ceiling's NCAA Tournament Prospect report.

[Gray Mule]

All I've got to say, Hawks had better grab him at their 1st opportunity because he might be gone if they don't.

Yes, I want him on our Hawk team !!

[REHawksFan]

9 hours ago, NBASupes said:

https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance?PlayerPosition=C&dir=D&sort=AVG_SPEED

Hold up....

Embiid, AD, and Joker are 3 of the 5 slowest centers in the NBA by whatever this metric is. And yall are arguing over whether Edey can be fast enough to play in the NBA?

Somethin's not adding up here.

 

[NBASupes]

3 hours ago, REHawksFan said:

Hold up....

Embiid, AD, and Joker are 3 of the 5 slowest centers in the NBA by whatever this metric is. And yall are arguing over whether Edey can be fast enough to play in the NBA?

Somethin's not adding up here.

 

It's strange to me as well. At first, I questioned it just because of his fluidity but movement wise, this dude is always moving, reset and loads faster than any of our bigs when screening, it's just a bunch of rambling. Most people just don't like the way he look doing it. It looks weird to them and he's huge. 

[NBASupes]

Maybe this class can challenge 2014 as the goat center draft class. I doubt it, 2022 is easily the 2nd greatest center draft class in the modern era aka the OAD era and 2024 is just as talented.

https://www.si.com/nba/2014/06/20/2014-nba-draft-center-rankings-joel-embiid-mitch-mcgary

2024

1. Edey

2. Clingan

3. Missi

4. Ware

5. Ariel Hukporti

6. Ryan Kalkbrenner

And you have several who will make themselves known in the Gleague combine and NBA combine. 

Edited March 22 by NBASupes