Zach Edey projected as lottery pick in ESPN's latest NBA big board
Zach Edey’s dynamic career at Purdue has him in line to be taken with a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Edey was No. 14 on Givony’s latest list of the top 25 prospects in the upcoming draft, making the leap from No. 32 in the previous rankings.
“Edey has found another gear with his conditioning, mobility and productivity, looking noticeably more impactful on both ends of the floor,” Givony wrote. “He has shown better versatility stepping outside the paint defensively, blocking shots prolifically while drawing fouls and dunking even more than usual, finding some real swagger to his game this season.”
The defending National Player of the Year is currently on pace for a career season in points per game (23.2) through 13 games for the Boilermakers. He is averaging a double-double with 10.6 rebounds per game, adding 2.4 blocked shots an outing to his total.
His last 2 games haven’t featured off-the-chart numbers, but he has still been effective. He scored 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor and sank all 8 of his free throws in a Dec. 21 win over Jacksonville, adding 8 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Eight days later, against Eastern Kentucky, he scored 13 points — going 5-of-6 from the field — and tacked on 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.
The Boilermakers, currently the No. 1 team in the country at 12-1, open up B1G play at Maryland on Tuesday night. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.