Zach Edey, the No. 1 pick? Exploring previous NBA draft years where Purdue prospect would have led mock boards

Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers fell short in the NCAA championship game after losing to the UConn Huskies 75-60. Edey will leave Purdue as one of the greatest players the program has ever produced. He's a throwback big man who could have been a top prospect before Steph Curry changed the league.

According to NBA Draft Room's scouting report, Edey is a traditional big man who is a bit taller at seven-foot-four. He's no Victor Wembanyama, but he has got size and soft touch that could translate to the next level. He's also a solid defender who can clog the lane.

Edey is not a shooter and doesn't have the foot speed to keep up with the pace of some players. The return of the big man is a trend in the NBA, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid winning the last five MVPs.

However, Zach Edey is not as athletic as Giannis and Embiid and is not as good on the ball as Jokic. Some of his comparisons include Ivica Zubac, Jonas Valanciunas and Boban Marjanovic.

Dan Woike of the LA Times asked a very interesting question on X about the Canadian big man.

"What's the last year Zach Edey wouldn't be a reasonable No. 1 pick because of 'modern' basketball?"

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3 NBA Draft years where Zach Edey would have led mock boards

2001 NBA Draft

Kwame Brown was the first overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft.

The first four picks in the 2001 NBA draft were big men – Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol and Eddy Curry. Zach Edey would have had a shot at being the top pick in this year's class.

Edey is more polished than Brown, Chandler and Curry, who were all drafted out of high school. Gasol was not known back then, given the NBA's lack of interest in European players.

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2005 NBA Draft

Andrew Bogut was the first overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft.

Andrew Bogut was the first overall pick of the 2005 NBA draft. It was not a strong class, which also included Deron Williams and Chris Paul. The Milwaukee Bucks were enamored by Bogut, as they wanted a big man to add to their backcourt combination of TJ Ford and Michael Redd.

Zach Edey had a similar profile to Bogut, a tough big man with a soft touch around the rim and is solid defensively. Edey has a better offensive profile, which would have been perfect alongside Ford's penetration and Redd's shooting back then.

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2006 NBA Draft

Andrea Bargnani was the first overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft.

The Toronto Raptors had the No. 1 pick in the 2006 NBA draft and used it on Andrea Bargnani.

Hindsight was 20/20 back then, with Bargnani being compared with Dirk Nowitzki. The Raptors already had Chris Bosh back then, so it would have been better if they picked a traditional center.

Zach Edey would have been a perfect frontcourt partner for Bosh, who had more of a face-up game. Edey would have been an upgrade to Rasho Nesterovic for the Raptors as well, providing more on offense and defense.

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