At the end of the 2022-23 season, one player was on everyone’s minds: Zach Edey. Edey led the Purdue Boilermakers to a Big Ten championship, the number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, and was the 2022-23 Wooden Award winner. The seven-foot-four center averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and an impressive 2.1 blocks per game last season. The big man has decided to return to Purdue for his much anticipated senior season. Unfortunately for Edey, he will need to improve on those incredible numbers and his efficiency to give Purdue any hope of winning this upcoming season.
Zach Edey 2023-24 Player Preview
Impressive Characteristics
Edey is mainly known for his size. Even in the Big Ten, he towers over smaller forwards and even some centers. His massive height and impressive seven-foot-seven wingspan allow him to rebound at an almost unfathomable level. Edey doesn’t need to be as smart as a player like Dennis Rodman when anticipating rebounds. He just needs to be in the paint, and there is a good chance he will come down with the ball. In some cases, Edey does not even care if he is boxed out at the end of the possession; it becomes a useless attempt because he reaches up and grabs the ball easily anyway.
Edey is great down the stretch of games. There are not many big men that average over 30 minutes a game. Edey’s stamina and minutes have improved over the last three years while also putting on weight to cope with the physical play that has become the trademark of the Big Ten. Edey’s stamina has helped him stay in the game when the team needs him most in the second half without coach Matt Painter risking a momentum shift.
Areas of Improvement
It seems silly to criticize a player for shooting 60.7% from the field, but Edey has zero range. If he is standing somewhere outside of six feet, the ball isn’t going up; instead, he’s looking to pass. It is almost painful watching him play away from the basket. The best example of this is the tournament game against Fairleigh Dickinson. Just looking at the state line of 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks, it seems like Edey was Purdue’s best player. Watching the game, it was clear that FDU was dismantling him. Every time Edey touched the ball, the FDU defense would swarm around him, forcing him to pass the ball to other Purdue players. Edey must expand his range to give his offense better looks and keep the defense guessing.
Edey has almost no bag to reach into to beat defenders. He relies so heavily on his being taller than everyone that his offense has become stale and predictable. He stands with his back to the basket and throws up a hook shot, and that is all his offense. However, this has worked for him until now, so what is the big problem? Coaches don’t just let players do what they want to do. Especially with his relative inefficiency against FDU, Big Ten coaches will be looking to emulate that performance.
Zach Edey Prediction
Edey is not a slouch of a player. After all, he is coming off a Wooden Award. He has returned to school because he is not NBA talent right now. The good news for Edey is that the things he needs to work on are the things that will help him the most in the NBA. Shot creation, the ability to stretch the floor, and I.Q. are all fixable things that could propel him to the next level. We have seen massive players like Tacko Fall flame out quickly at the next level due to their reliance on size, which has less impact at the pro level. Edey will be looking to show NBA scouts that he isn’t just a rebounder and put-back maestro but that he can be a multi-tool player with a knack for the basket and an eye for shot-blocking.
Edey will surely be a front-runner for the Wooden Award again if he can make slight adjustments to keep his opponents guessing on his next move and prevent coaches from making him play into his weaknesses. Suppose Edey is unable to improve his game in a significant way. In that case, it is possible to see stagnation or even a regression in production from the reigning National Player of the Year.
