One NBA draft analyst was left with their jaw dropped with the No. 9 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek took the first swing at how she felt about Purdue star Zach Edey entering the league after the Grizzlies took him in the first round.
“This is one of the worst picks I’ve seen in draft history,” Peek declared.
Despite Edey being a generational talent during his tenure at Purdue, where he led the Boilermakers to a national championship game appearance this season, some analysts believe he is bad fit to play the game at the highest level.
Edey, who is a staggering 7 feet 4, is an old-school back-to-the-basket big man.
He is primarily used out of post-up touches and tends to congest the paint, which the NBA has drifted away from in the 3-point-heavy era.
He lacks an explosive first step alongside any true shooting capabilities.
Peek expressed multiple concerns with how he will play in the pros.
“I have absolutely no idea how he’s going to fit in the backcourt with Ja Morant,” she said. “He only connected on 8 percent of his shots off pick-and-rolls. And, defensively, he’s a liability. … Teams are going to hunt him in the pick-and-roll.”
Peek added the Grizzlies could have targeted Tristan da Silva or even Cody Williams instead of Edey.
Fans also had similar feelings as Peek did, which they shared on social media.
One X user said: “i didn’t realize edey at 9 was a possibility.”
Another user also shared their view on the pick:
“I would say Zach Edey in top 10 is the worst pick of the draft, but Bronny James is probably is gonna get drafted at some point soooooo……”
ESPN analyst and former Golden State Warriors manager, Bob Myers, was also shocked by the Edey pick.
“This is the most surprising pick so far, for me… I just didn’t see him going this high…,” Myers said before noting that Edey could be a good fit alongside athletic power forward Jaren Jackson Jr.
Time will tell if Edey can adjust to the league and if Peek’s initial reaction was correct.