If things break right, the New York Knicks could end up with one of the biggest names in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Purdue center Zach Edey is coming off a stellar senior season that saw him average 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game to lead the Boilermakers to the national championship ggame. He was the first consensus national player of the year since Bill Walton in 1973.
Despite his decorated college career, the 7-foot-4 Edey projects as a late lottery pick and may even fall out of the lottery. There are concerns about how Edey's traditional offensive game and lack of speed will translate to the NBA level.
Some mock drafts have even had Edey falling to the Knicks, who own the 24th and 25th picks in draft.
If he does, NBA draft guru Sam Vecenie of The Athletic believes there could be a fit. While appearing on "The Knicks Film School" podcast, Vecenie explained why he thinks Edey would be a good fit for Tom Thibodeau's team.
"The reason that I think [Thibodeau] would like Edey is that Edey is an ass-kicker," Vecenie said. "There's not really another way to put what Zach Edey does on the court. He is an awesome screener, which is really important for [the Knicks] offense. He flips screens, he re-screens, he's just really good in terms of getting his man some separation.
"He's not the best rim-gravity threat or anything. Purdue would often kind of roll him into post-ups, because that's the way it worked in college. Zach Edey was way bigger than everybody. Here's the thing: Zach Edey is still going to be way bigger than everybody in the NBA. It's just going to be slightly less bigger than everybody in the NBA. When you're 7-foot-4 without shoes and you have a 7' 10 1/2" wingspan, you're still going to be an enormous human."
Vecenie continued, saying he believes Edey will be better on defense than some project.
"I think [Thibodeau] would like the fact that Zach improved a lot in terms of drop coverage this past year. I actually think he's a pretty okay — like, I feel okay about him in drop."
Vecenie said that while Edey's foot work needs to improve, Edey is quicker laterally than people realize and that he uses his size and length to make things hard on offensive opponents.
Additionally, Vecenie said that Edey is in "unbelievable shape" and handled big minutes in the NCAA Tournament without any issues.
"He is one of the most well-conditioned athletes for his size that I have seen, point blank," Vecenie said.
Vecenie did note that Edey may potentially struggle in recovery and fastbreak situations, potentially allowing 5-on-4 opportunities for opponents.
"I think the screening, the rim protection, the drop coverage stuff, and the toughness, the rebounding, I think that Thibs would really like that," Vecenie said.
The Knicks have had success developing centers with Thibodeau at the helm. Mitchell Robinson was heading toward an All-Defensive Team selection in 2023-24 before injuries cut his year short. Isaiah Hartenstein blossomed from a reserve center to a starter who may command $20 million per year in free agency. Even Precious Achiuwa, a throw-in in the OG Anunoby trade, became a more productive, reliable version of himself with the Knicks.
Edey seems more NBA-ready than many players and could benefit from learning under Thibodeau and Robinson (and Hartenstein, if he remains in New York).
ESPN recently ranked Edey as the 16th-best prospect in the draft, with Jonathan Givony reporting that teams see Edey's draft range as 9-19. It would take some luck for Edey to fall all the way to 24, but if the Knicks keep their picks, they could end up with a top prospect.
Watch Vecenie's comments below:
