NBA Draft 2024 Rumors: Zach Edey's 'Serious' Approach Impressed Teams in Interviews

Zach Edey might be working his way into lottery status at June's NBA draft.

The Purdue big man reportedly "impressed" teams with his "serious-minded approach in interviews," according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo.

Per that report, Edey "discussed the joy he takes in punishing opponents with his physicality, a trait that was readily apparent on film. Edey has fans in the top 10, but also plenty of detractors, creating a somewhat wide range that extends into the 20s, depending on how the draft shakes out."

In his latest mock draft, B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected Edey to land with the Toronto Raptors at No. 19 overall, noting he "may have opened scouts' imaginations at the combine with the comfort level he demonstrated making jump shots during drills."

Edey's ability to impact the game as a post scorer, rebounder and interior defender has never been questioned. The bigger issues are whether he'll hurt a team's floor-spacing on the offensive end, given his limited range at the college level, and whether teams will pull him away from the basket and exploit him in space on the defensive side of the ball.

He isn't going to magically become more athletic, so his defensive deficiencies against NBA offenses—especially in playoff environments—will be a persistent concern. But if he can improve his perimeter shooting, he could carve out a nice role for himself with an NBA team.