NBA insider Brian Windhorst explains why Purdue’s Zach Edey may be ‘off-putting to NBA teams’ in the upcoming draft

Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers had a strong regular season. They finished first in the Big 10 with a 29-6 record and went 15-5 in Conference play. Edey also helped lead Purdue to a Big 10 Conference tournament championship this season. The Boilermakers were just the second-ever #1 seed to lose to a #16 seed in the opening round. Recently, NBA insider Brian Windhorst explained why Edey may be ‘off-putting to NBA teams’ in the upcoming draft. 

The seven-foot-four big man had a dominant season for Purdue. He averaged (22.3) points, (12.9) rebounds, and (2.1) blocks in (31.7) minutes per game. Edey is likely on his way to winning national player of the year, but his draft stock has not risen at all.

His biggest issue according to insiders is his lack of mobility. ESPN databases have him as the 52nd overall prospect in the 2023 class.

Will Zach Edey be able to transition to the NBA or will his lack of mobility be his biggest weakness?

Winning national player of the year in college basketball does not mean you are the best prospect in the upcoming draft. We saw this two seasons ago when Iowa’s Luk Garza won national player of the year but ended up being the 52nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

Ironically, Zach Edey is in a very similar position. He’s likely going to win national player of the year, but he’s not anywhere close to being the top prospect of his class. Edey is ranked 52nd according to ESPN databases. ESPN’s Brain Windhorst recently discussed how Edey’s lack of mobility is concerning to NBA scouts.

“It’s off-putting to NBA teams—even though Zach Edey has gotten better—it’s off-putting when a big man just can’t move very well, unless he’s so sensational.” – Brian Windhorst

Putting it all together when you’re that tall is not easy. The big man still has one year of eligibility left and there’s a chance he comes back for another season to continue to work on his skills.