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This is most insane individual statline I have ever seen and embarrassment of riches on one team.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/zach-edey-1.html

47 PER. Not only is he having the most dominate per possession season ever by a significant margin I can find, he put a Wooden candidate and guy CBS rated the 6th best player in the nation in the preseason on the bench that is also having one of the best per possessions seasons ever as well.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/trevion-williams-1.html



I actually feel robbed just as a fan of basketball that we don't get to see more of both of these guys and what they could do in more minutes out of each others ways just as a person that likes to see the unprecedented. Their catch charts (5:50 on the video) are so different and they work in such different area's and Willimas is such a good passer (6.1 assist per 40) and ball handler it's hard to believe the coach can't figure out a way to play them together some too.

Man, those are 2 unusual players on a team with the most talented guard in the country, imo. It's absurd to have 2 guys that productive playing under 20 minutes a game. I think Williams has a good chance to be a solid NBA player, but he's gotta develop a decent 3 ball. Edey... maybe if he finds a team that'll play him 10 minutes a game.

He'll get run outta the gym in today's NBA. Get him a job washing office building windows or something.

Does anyone think that Walker Kessler's rookie year might change any minds when it comes to a bigger center like this going forward? Kessler always got the "he's just tall" narrative too. But while his skills may not be diverse, the skills he does have he has at a very high level. And size alone can make a defensive impact.

I'll admit, part of the reason I'm wondering this is with Rudy Gobert in Minnesota, he's the prototype for this kid to learn from. I've seen Edey ranked in the 50s by both Tankathon and ESPN, and Minnesota's lone pick this draft is right in that range at 53.

who said Kessler was just a tall guy? Kessler's always been highly mobile for his size/position. that's why he was a top recruit in his class.

also Kessler has nothing to do with Edey and vice versa. Edey can stand on his own merits as a prospect regardless of what Kessler's doing in the NBA.

I think he will go around pick 50 in the draft. We have seen being tall doesn't transfer to being good in the NBA. Boban, Tacko, Thabet.

Someone will take a chance on him, but the expectations should be very low.

JMAC3 wrote:I think he will go around pick 50 in the draft. We have seen being tall doesn't transfer to being good in the NBA. Boban, Tacko, Thabet.

Someone will take a chance on him, but the expectations should be very low.

I think 50s is a pretty good expectation of his draft range, especially considering the current era.

It will be interesting to see if he tries to slim down in his draft prep. That was a major focus a few years ago for Luka Garza. He ended up at the 40th pick, who has shown the potential to be able to carve out a role in the NBA.

And say what you want about Boban not being good, but he's been able to stick around in this league for 8 seasons now.

Seriously don't get the fascination with these lumbering ass giants. They aren't made for the modern game.

He's a top talent in the draft for sure.

Most dominant NCAA player by a distance. Elite performance at his age-group international competition (1st team along with Wemby, Chet, Ivey, and Jovic).

Already involved in the senior Canadian team as a "core" member in the roster along with 11 NBA guys. Nick Nurse openly spoke about how he's a problem in practice for those NBA guys to handle.

He's certainly not as scheme agnostic of a lot of other prospects and I think it's fair to ding him for that. But I think teams are going to look real dumb if they draft a bunch of dramatically less talented players than him just because they "fit" better.

I love the title of this thread. lol

TheSuzerain wrote:He's a top talent in the draft for sure.

Most dominant NCAA player by a distance. Elite performance at his age-group international competition (1st team along with Wemby, Chet, Ivey, and Jovic).

Already involved in the senior Canadian team as a "core" member in the roster along with 11 NBA guys. Nick Nurse openly spoke about how he's a problem in practice for those NBA guys to handle.

He's certainly not as scheme agnostic of a lot of other prospects and I think it's fair to ding him for that. But I think teams are going to look real dumb if they draft a bunch of dramatically less talented players than him just because they "fit" better.

What happens when Kyrie points to the guy he's guarding to set a screen for him? It's laughable to think about how badly he would get cooked.

Big J wrote:

TheSuzerain wrote:He's a top talent in the draft for sure.

Most dominant NCAA player by a distance. Elite performance at his age-group international competition (1st team along with Wemby, Chet, Ivey, and Jovic).

Already involved in the senior Canadian team as a "core" member in the roster along with 11 NBA guys. Nick Nurse openly spoke about how he's a problem in practice for those NBA guys to handle.

He's certainly not as scheme agnostic of a lot of other prospects and I think it's fair to ding him for that. But I think teams are going to look real dumb if they draft a bunch of dramatically less talented players than him just because they "fit" better.

What happens when Kyrie points to the guy he's guarding to set a screen for him? It's laughable to think about how badly he would get cooked.

With the mid-range going the way of the Dodo bird, the new least efficient shot in basketball is...above the break 3's.

I think he could get 15/10 in like 26mpg but still be a liability in the PO’s. Even then with the play in a guy that helps get the W’s in the RS but can’t be the same impact guy in the POs has value. Much more than before the play in. I think that aspect is understated here.

i like edey and think he can do some good things in the nba. but he would immediately become the worst switching big in the league. it's not that he can't stay in front of even college wings and guards, but looks like a statue - there is literally no resistance. and these are just run of the mill college guys that are blowing by him with ease.

It's worth the risk in the 2nd round. If it fails, you move on. Let's say Kyrie gets his mid range at 1.1 PPP. What happens when Edey can score in the post at a higher rate? I don't think he can defend 1 on 1 on perimeter in isolation. But plenty of teams use drop coverage bigs with success today. Playoffs are about matchups and change year to year mostly. What isn't as effective against one team may be effective against another.

I'd take him later 1st I think (probably rank him a bit higher than that, but an acknowledgement of perceived value). Bit of a swing for the fences. If it works it'll be because he can do something nobody else in the league can do.

What I think is weird with whatever "hype" Edey is getting is that his stats are literally unchanged from last season except he's getting more minutes (which obviously translates to more PPG yay points). He has not materially changed as a player. Kind of tells me the Edey fans are fake because they weren't out in force until this season.

EvanZ wrote:What I think is weird with whatever "hype" Edey is getting is that his stats are literally unchanged from last season except he's getting more minutes (which obviously translates to more PPG yay points). He has not materially changed as a player. Kind of tells me the Edey fans are fake because they weren't out in force until this season.

While I understand your overall point, one stat that has seen a significant improvement is his foul rate. Part of why he's playing so much more is that he's fouling less this year than he did a season ago despite averaging an additional 12 mpg.

ItsDanger wrote:It's worth the risk in the 2nd round. If it fails, you move on. Let's say Kyrie gets his mid range at 1.1 PPP. What happens when Edey can score in the post at a higher rate? I don't think he can defend 1 on 1 on perimeter in isolation. But plenty of teams use drop coverage bigs with success today. Playoffs are about matchups and change year to year mostly. What isn't as effective against one team may be effective against another.

1.1 PPP midrange is what Kyrie shoots when he has a league average defender guarding him. If no one is within 10 feet of him he's making 8 out of 10 of them.

The idea that any team might be able to get away with giving up wide open pull-up jumpers in the modern NBA is asinine. There's a reason why certain types of players consistently get played off the court and certain archetypes have all but vanished over the years.

That doesn't mean that Edey cannot be a useful NBA player. But if your idea is to just live with a barrage of open jumpers by main ball handlers in today's NBA because you hope to be able to one-up the other team on the other end, you're absolutely doomed to fail.