Thunder DRAFTING 7’4 Center? – Zach Edey Projected to Land in OKC | Thunder News

Thunder DRAFTING 7’4 Center? – Zach Edey Projected to Land in OKC | Thunder News

with the 2024 NBA draft just a few days away now a bunch of teams are starting to extend invites for some pre-draft workouts for them and the Oklahoma City Thunder have extended them to a few guards and forwards however with the center and power forward positions they haven’t really been open about who’s been there and there are a few guys on lock draft boards at the Oklahoma City Thunder plan on taking but they haven’t been notified that they’ve been to Oklahoma City yet for a pre-draft workout however there is one guy that is on top of the list for a bunch of mock drafts right now who slowly creeps his way into the lottery or even a pick from 15 to 18 as well who at the beginning of the college season was a fringe guy but he won the national Player of the Year award and it looks like he could be heading to Oklahoma City with the 12th overall pick what up it’s Bry aens with another Thunder digest video for you guys today before I get all this though I want to take a moment and say if you guys find yourself coming back on a regular basis and you enjoyed the content on the channel go ahead hit the Subscribe button it’s totally for you to do and it’s the best way to support the channel here on Thunder digest with that out of the way we can go and get into the video talking about him you know you know you guys saw from the thumbnail you saw from the title and what I just said earlier about how he was the national Player of the Year we’re talking about Zack Edy and there’s definitely a discussion on why a bunch of people are high on Zack Edy however there are a bunch of people that are low on Zack Eed as well saying he will be a bus and before we get all this I don’t think he’s going to be a great player but I don’t think he’ll be a bad player I think he’s a career like backup guy he’ll always be your backup center or for a team no matter what I think there are a few times in cases he could start for teams such as a rebuilding team or someone that really went guard heavy for their Superstars they just need someone to fill in that starting role and kind of take up some space defensively I think Zach Edy can be decent it’s just where I don’t see him as a lottery guy I see him a as a guy if you want the value that he’s going to bring to the team you need to draft him from anywhere from the 20 to 25th pick I feel like that’s the best value for him in that range and I think it would be a waste of a lottery pick to use it on him however with the ringer the Ringer’s recent mock draft they have us taken Zachy with this pick they have us taken Zacky year as you can see this is what they had to say about it too at 12 overall 8 addresses Oklahoma City’s need for size and adds a totally different interior ingredient to their offense with his interior scoring offensive rebounding and screening and if there’s anyone who can turn Edie’s touch around the basket into reliable three-point shooties shooting its assistant coach chip so as you can see there they’re high on the Thunder being able to take eenie and actually turn him into a guy that can help out the team and he does have a lot of strong suits that he brings to his game I’m not going to you know lie about that there are you know a bunch of positive brings positives he brings but also a bunch of negatives and you also got to wonder what’s the comparison like and what’s some stuff that really stands out to him well this is what I love about the ring in their mock draft they have a pro comparison what he can bring to the team already and also some little highlights what he really excels at this is what they had to say about him as you can see here massive U massive center with a skill set that has transformed him from a French draft prospect to a potential lottery pick so as I said there a guy that was Fring you know possibly just going in the second round of the NBA draft for a team that wants to take a chance on him he could potentially be a lottery guy now because of how well he’s been doing in the combine and with potential his interviews as well and they say he has shades of iaka zubac and these are some things that stand out with him he’s a Human Highlight re so he’s going to make these you know spectacular plays interior scoring and post presentes so basic stuff you expect from a big man there I’m going to be honest that’s just basic stuff he justs a three ball decently he can shoot it from time to time his scoring potential is definitely up there it’s just a matter of fact the thing I’m worried about is his athleticism can he move around quickly compared to some of the some of the other prospects that we can get in the draft that’s the only worry I have with drafting a guy like Edie and that’s why I think at 12 I don’t think it’s the right pick now what I think we should do is we really want Zach Edy trade down to like 18 to 20 where he’s potentially going to fall that’s where I potentially see him falling and then boom you can take him or if you want draft someone right now go ahead draft someone with the 12th pick then whoever drafts Edy make a trade for him we did that with Derrik Lively and Cas Wallace last uh draft you can do the same thing here okay you really like that person so you might as well go after and go get him may you know they think okay we took the wrong person as well we actually wanted that guy but you guys took him trade for for each other do that I just don’t think at 12 we should be taking Zack Edy he’s not a lottery guy he’s a guy that falls anywhere from 18 to 20 realistically I’ve seen him in 20 to 25 range in the first round but he does have some positives to his game I’m going to be honest about that he does when you look at it these are the positives that they had him on the ringer like what he really does well hard to stop interior score not just because of his sheer size but also because of his skill and touch he does a great job using his massive frame to seal off positioning and make himself available for interior Feats he doesn’t have advanced footwork but his gigantic presence is enhanced by his agility willingly Embraces his role whether playing limited minutes as an underclassman or running the offense through him as a Junior and senior playing for the Canadian national team last summer he fully took on responsibility as a screener something Purdue doesn’t ask of him as often as post-ups intelligent big man with a solid feel for playmaking outside of double teams he isn’t a seven passer by any means but he limits mistakes despite receiving so much attention from uh College defenses keeps the ball high when he catches it near the rim so he’s not prone to getting stripped with a soft touch on hook shots so they’re saying that he uses his size well and he knows how to adapt that’s what stands out to me he knows how to adapt he can fit in any role that he sees fit whether it’s off you know with limited minutes as a bench player and underclassman or as a starter when they have a lot as of him if Ed came on the team he wouldn’t be a starter he’d be coming off the bench he’d be our backup center and he would really feel on that I feel like bench roll well it’s just a matter of the fact I see a bunch of people talking about him being a starter on this Thunder team already I don’t see him as a starter that’s my thing with Ed I’m not saying he’s a bust I’m not saying that at all he brings value and potential to any team he goes on as a serviceable backup big he could potentially be one of the best backup centers in the league we see that with Isaiah hartstein all the time where he wants where he is usually the best backup center in the entire league you see that with him I think Zach Edy brings that to the table as well he can be a good backup big and his style of play I Feel Like can fit into the Oklahoma City offense where he can shoot the three ball a little bit where we want Shooters on the team we just need some beef up interior defense and he does bring that however talking about this you also have to look at the negatives that he brings to the team and here they are here’s what they had to say he’s a limited Defender when pulled away from the basket he struggles to recover on pick and pops and often gets blown by on Closeouts NBA teams will Target him even more than college teams do granted he’s made improvements in handling pressure at his current level lacks a perimeter game aside from his screening though he has soft touch on floaters and solid free throw percentage for a big there is no indication that he will develop a spot up jumper can’t really play an up and down high Tempo game since he’s slower footed in open space so it’s a double edge sword for him is kind of what I’m getting from this granted there are certain aspects to his game that he fits in well at with OKC how he can be a catch and shoot guy has as he can shoot the three ball a little bit shoots well from the line go to the free throw line quite a bit as well it’s just a matter of the fact that we like to push the ball a lot when you look at our team we have a bunch of quick guys and we go on fast breaks a time and we like to play play up in your face on defense sorry had a frog in my throat there but you like to play you like we like to play up in your face on defense play physical play aggressive and play Fast Edie is not really this guy that’s going to be you know moving really fast sure he can move side to side quickly he has decent agility but running down the floor and trying to you know really stay in front of Defenders out on the perimeter he doesn’t do that well he doesn’t at all it’s just it’s a double-edged sword sure he’s going to fill in this post need that we need with offensive and defensive capabilities there you know interior scorer rebounding and just you know that post presentes down low in the defense blocking shots being a rim protector it’s just all the other aspects that we’re looking in for a guy we’re looking for guys that can run the floor quickly and can spot up shoot sometimes that can play off the dribble that’s kind of what our offense is all about defensively he can fit in well off offensively is where I see him struggle a little bit more that’s the worry with him and that’s why I say with a 12th overall pick I say no to Edy if we trade down for like the 18th pick I say yes that’s what I say or if you really want him draft someone that you can potentially see could be traded to another team and then swap guys that’s what you do it’s just I don’t see him as a lottery pick I think it’d be a waste of that 12th overall pick and pay him a pretty good contract pretty good size contract for Zack Edy when realistically I don’t think he’s worth that much I I just don’t I don’t think he’s worth a lottery salary I think he’s worth $2 million a year I see that as a rookie for him that’s what he’s worth it’s just we got to make sure we’re getting what he’s worth and not overpaying him that’s where I’m getting at I feel like there’s better options at the 12th overall pick than Zack eie that’s where I’m getting at it’s not that I don’t want him it’s not that I think he’s a bad player it’s just a matter of the fact I think with where we are at in the draft there’s better options there’s a better way to go that’s my whole spill with him that’s that’s why in the comment sections and you you know if you see me on Twitter I don’t think you know Zack Edy is a lottery pick if you’re a guy if you’re a team that has you know another pick in the first round late there go ahead take him or if you already have your team set and you don’t really know who to take and you’re willing to take a risk on him go ahead it’s just a matter the fact is at the 12th overall pick we have better options you can go get another shooter on the team which isn’t really necessarily our problem but I do know a lot of guys on Thunder Twitter all the Reddit Pages even the comment sections are high on Jared McCain we also a lot of people high on Cody Williams and even Holmes we have a bunch of people high on Holmes as well which I’ll also talk about in another video how I don’t think you know the promises for him at the 12th pick however there’s potentially trading down for him as I saw an article I can’t remember from who but we’ll talk about in another video it’s just Zack I see him as a guy we take anywhere from 18 to 20 if we trade down and go get him he’s not a 12th overall guy but let me know what you guys think in the comments if you think we need to take him at 12th overall or if we should trade down and go get him or if we should even get him at all let me know in the comments I’ll see you guys in the next video

The draft is a few days away and The Ringer have the Thunder taking a big man at 12th overall. Bryson Akins covers if Edey is the right pick at 12, or if there is a better option.

Thunder Digest covers the latest reports, news and rumors regarding the Oklahoma City Thunder. If you want to stay updated with every trade, move and tidbit on players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Josh Giddey, Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Mark Daigneault and Sam Presti.