Zach Edey might just win the Wooden Award in back-to-back years, but an NBA scout doesn’t believe he will make much of an impact in the league. Edey is having another excellent season at Purdue, but a scout thinks he will be like Boban Marjanovic in the NBA.
“People are talking about Edey going in the first round and I’m asking myself if we’re really talking about a situational big man in the first round?” an NBA scout told HoopsHype. “Is he going to be a starter? No. Is he going to be a backup every night? Probably not. He’s Boban Marjanovic in my opinion.”
Marjanovic has been in the league now for nine seasons and has averaged 5.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in that time. He only averaged over 10 minutes a game in one of those nine campaigns, as the 35-year-old has only gotten to play in garbage time, for the most part.
The scout believes a career along those lines awaits Edey. That might seem incredibly harsh at first, considering he leads college basketball this season in points per game at 24.5 and ranks second in rebounds per game at 12.1. The 21-year-old has impressed in the NCAA tournament as well and has led Purdue to the Sweet 16.
To go with the Wooden Award he won in 2023, Edey has won Big Ten Player of the Year twice (2023, 2024). He is also a two-time Consensus first-team All-American (2023, 2024) and made the Big Ten All-Defensive Team twice (2023, 2024) as well. Should Edey win the Wooden Award again this year, he would be the first player to do so since Ralph Samson back in 1983.
While all that is very impressive, Edey doesn’t exactly fit the bill of the modern-day big man in the NBA. He does most of his damage down low and can’t shoot from beyond the arc as of now. The Canadian also stands at 7’4″ and isn’t all that quick. Edey would have trouble guarding on the perimeter at the NBA level with all the switching, much like Marjanovic.
Had he been coming to the league in the 1990s or early 2000s, Edey might well have been a high draft pick, as a player of his profile was very much in demand. That’s no longer the case now, but I think if he can develop an outside shot, Edey could potentially be a solid role player in the league.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Hilarious Nickname For Zach Edey
Whatever happens to Edey at the NBA level, it wouldn’t take away from the fact that he has had a stellar college career. His exploits at the NCAA tournament have led to Shaquille O’Neal giving him a hilarious nickname, Zachille O’Neal.
It’s quite an accomplishment to do something that was last done by O’Neal. Edey would now be hoping to do what the Hall of Famer couldn’t, which is to win a national title. Purdue has never won it in their history and it would be incredible if Edey caps off his college career by leading them to glory.
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