Purdue star Zach Edey officially enters 2024 NBA Draft

Purdue center Zach Edey, the NCAA’s two-time national player of the year, has submitted paperwork to the NBA league office making himself eligible for the 2024 draft, he confirms to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Edey’s plans weren’t surprising. Back in February, Purdue head coach Matt Painter indicated that his star center wouldn’t return to college for his super-senior season in 2024-25.

“I felt like it was time,” Edey said. “I showed that I’m a physical presence on offense this season. I also showed I can play defense. I can guard in space, even defend guards.”

As Givony writes, Edey is among the most decorated college basketball players. He led the nation with 25.2 points per game this past season, grabbing 12.2 rebounds and blocking 2.2 shots per contest. The 7-foot-4 center, whose wingspan is 7-foot-10, guided the Boilermakers to an appearance in the NCAA championship, where Purdue couldn’t top UConn despite Edey’s 37 points.

While there are still some questions about how Edey’s game will translate to the NBA level, he boosted his draft stock over the past 12 months after testing the draft waters in 2023, Givony notes. The big man is now the No. 14 prospect on ESPN’s top-100 list, making him a potential lottery pick.

Edey, who didn’t begin playing basketball seriously until high school, believes his game still has plenty of room to grow, as he tells Givony.

“I’m going to keep expanding my game and do things people haven’t seen from me,” the Canadian said. “Shooting is going to be a big thing in my workouts during the pre-draft process. Every day I’m getting the reps and my routine right to show off that part of my game.”