Okay, so I’ve been seeing a lot of talk about Zach Edey lately. The dude’s a giant, 7’4″, you can’t miss him. And he’s been killing it in college, named Big Ten Player of the Year twice. But then I see all this stuff online, people saying “Edey is overrated” or “He won’t last in the league.” I was like what? So, I decided to do some digging myself.
First, I watched a bunch of his games. I mean, the guy’s size alone is insane. He’s altering shots left and right with that crazy 7’11” wingspan. And he’s not just a big body, I noticed he can actually play 35+ minutes without getting into foul trouble, which is nuts for someone his size. He’s grabbing offensive boards, running the pick and roll. Dude even put up some “ridiculous stat line” in one game, I read. Some people say our team lacks a good defender, so I started to think that maybe he is what we lack.
Then I started looking at what the “experts” were saying. I found this podcast where they were debating if he could shoot threes. Turns out, he’s only attempted two in his four years at Purdue, so, yeah, not a shooter. And apparently, the NBA loves guys who can shoot, they call them “unicorns”.
- I read some comments on sports pages, and people are really divided. Some are like, “He’s a beast, he’ll dominate.” Others are saying, “He’s too slow, he won’t be able to keep up.”
- I even found this one strategy suggestion for defending him, it was something like, “play low post interior D,” whatever that means. Sounds complicated.
So, I dove a little deeper into his background. Born in 2002 in Toronto, nicknamed “Little Buddha.” He was born to a Chinese mother and a white father. I don’t know, maybe that’s why people are so split on him, he is not your typical player.
Honestly, after all this, I’m still not sure what to think. He’s clearly a dominant college player, but the NBA is a whole different ball game. They want their centers to be athletic, to be able to switch on defense, to run the floor, and maybe even shoot. I’m not sure if he can be all those things. I guess only time will tell if Zach Edey can make it in the NBA. But one thing’s for sure, it’s been fun looking into it.
I think he might have a long career, but I also doubt his skills because of his disadvantages. What do you guys think, is he ready for the big leagues?
