Shannon Sharpe questions Zach Edey’s first-round potential despite seeing shades of Nikola Jokic and Shaquille O'Neal

Zach Edey had a monstrous game in a loss against UConn in the NCAA title game on Monday. Despite Edey's big game, alluding to how the NBA has drafted big men in the past, Shannon Sharpe doesn’t seem convinced that Edey should be ranked high in the draft class.

The UConn Huskies defeated Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers in the NCAA championship game. In the latest episode of the “Nightcap” podcast, Sharpe discussed in detail the game and particularly Edey’s potential as the 2024 NBA Draft pick.

Sharpe agreed that Zach Edey had the perfect height to become a successful player in the NBA, but he didn’t have the athleticism or skill set to get drafted high. Sharpe said that even players like Shaquille O’Neal and Giannis Antetokounmpo had something in them that allowed them to get picked in the draft.

“Would somebody probably draft him? I don’t think he is a first-round pick," Sharpe said. "Will somebody take a fly in the second round? Sure! Probably a non-guranteed contract, get him in, try to work him down and maybe you can make something out of it."

Despite his ability to go downhill, Antetokounmpo was drafted 15th in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft. Shaq, before he gained weight and became bigger, moved flawlessly for a 7-foot-4 body.

Sharpe was positive that if NBA teams were willing to work on Zach Edey, something better might really come out. Alluding to Nikola Jokic, who was selected in the second round, Sharpe was positive that Edey can become a better player when he gets into the NBA.

Can Zach Edey make the first-round selection in the 2024 NBA Draft?

Zach Edey has been one of the best players, if not the best player in college basketball, in the last two years.

The Purdue big man was the only person between the UConn Huskies and the NCAA championship. He scored a game-high 37 points for Purdue but the Boilermakers lost the title game to the Huskies by 60-75.

Despite averaging 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, Edey has been dismissed as a first-round pick.

One of the primary reasons for his poor draft ranking has been his game and physicality. Furthermore, NBA scouts believe Zach Edey would struggle to make the transition from college basketball to the NBA.

Edey is not a great shooter and relies mostly on floaters. Moreover, his game has weaknesses; he is more focused on playing to his left and mostly likes to play post-up games.

Despite his monstrous games in the last two seasons, Edey is not seen around like a potentially dominant center like Shaq. However, he has still made a lot of improvements since last season. He is expected to be picked early in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.