2024 NBA Summer League - The Baylor and Bronny version
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He apparently did pretty well in some agility drills at the combine, at least according to this very long, very passionate article defending Edey as a prospect: https://theswishtheory.com/2024-nba-draft-articles/2024/06/the-edey-enigma-a-systematic-defense-of-a-generational-talent/.
I thought this article was interesting (skip the first philosophical part if it's boring) with some good statistics from his college years (though I doubt it will change anyone's mind). For example, Edey had insane on/off numbers: 13.1 net rating in 2022 (soph) , 24.6 net rating in 2023 (jr) , 32.4 net rating in 2024 (senior).
On his defense and mobility, the article says:
Argument: Maybe he can play drop, but he’s too immobile to stay on the floor otherwise.
There needs to be a level of nuance to the Edey mobility debates. There’s a faction of Draft Twitter that ignores anything combine-related at all: scrimmages, anthropometrics, shooting drills, agility tests are all non-functional and should be ignored in favor of good ole in-game tape. There’s another faction that takes all the data points of the combine at face value, using them to make macro projections about prospects. The first faction ridicules the second faction for applying Edey’s strong lane agility and shuttle run performances, especially relative to Sarr, Missi, and Clingan, as an antidote for Edey’s mobility concerns.
I don’t find myself in the middle, but rather chasing a new standard, nuance. It’s typically a mistake to ignore any data points, and the combine provides a set of highly standardized data points that can be benchmarked against decades worth of prospects. However, a quick look at the historic applicability of the tests puts some of the Edey pro-mobility discourse to rest.
First off, there are 3 total agility drills. The three-quarter sprint drill was the one drill that Edey performed poorly in, and unfortunately, that’s the drill that is most correlated with mobility in a traditional NBA context. The most direct application of the three-quarter sprint can be understood as leaking out in transition and in closeout quickness. Furthermore, Edey’s vertical was amongst the bottom of testers. Some of these issues can be masked by Edey’s sheer size, but it inevitably dampens Edey’s ability to self-organize or make longer rotations. I’m surprised that there hasn’t been much discourse about Edey guarding bigger lob threats in the NBA, as I’m a bit worried about scenarios where he’s not quick enough to backpedal and not functionally fast off the ground to contest. There is a slight bit of poster potential on Edey, and this seems like a bigger issue than large space mobility to me.
However, watching Edey compared to last year, it’s clear that he’s made legitimate athletic improvements. His athletic testing improved from last year to this year (especially on max vert and lane agility tests), but so did his ambidexterity. On offense, we’ve seen Edey become more comfortable posting up on either side of the block and not hesitating to use his left hand hook if need be. On defense, it’s the same story, able to contest with either hand. Edey’s development on defense over the last 3 years has been remarkable to watch, with dramatic improvements in his technique and converting awareness to reaction. Further functional vertical improvements will only make his value proposition as a legit good drop big even more robust.
I’d say some of Edey’s biggest weaknesses right now are slow backpedals and a lack of aggression on contests (often post-backpedal/as he rotates). There are certainly times when Edey’s hands are down as he rotates. But generally, I think there’s some conflation of lacking aggression with staying out of foul trouble. Edey is coming off two straight years of guard-like foul rates (2.4 fouls called per 40 this year), and much of that appears to be by design. It makes sense; the fulcrum of Purdue’s offense needs to be on the court as much as possible, and his length and size alone provide a strong enough baseline of deterrence as it is. It is far too risky for Edey to be in foul trouble, giving rise to his somewhat aggression-averse nature on defense. Especially in the tournament, I think Painter estimated that the opportunity cost of Edey fouling out was far too high; I’d wager that he instructed Edey not to chase as many blocks, consequently deflating his block volume during those last few games.
While Edey’s large space mobility is somewhat questionable, his small space mobility is quite good, and it’s a large part of why he tested so well in the shuttle run and lane agility drills. I also believe that there’s definitely a sort of visual bias at play: since bigger players have longer limbs, their movements appear slower compared to smaller players with quicker, shorter movements. Slower movements do not mean that taller players cover less ground or are slower in terms of timed speed or agility. I think a lot of the criticisms of Edey stem from either unrealistic expectations, or an overemphasis on his lack of large space mobility.
What’s interesting is that Edey’s strong shuttle run and lane agility performances would intuit that he is a strong backpedaller, but he actually seems to struggle in this regard. Perhaps there is some low hanging fruit, or maybe this is just an intrinsic physical limitation. Regardless, Edey is a very aware defender, especially when flipping his hips in tight spaces. He’s made leaps and bounds in converting from awareness to functional reaction as of late.
So what does this all mean for Edey’s defensive projection? Well, he’s going to be somewhat limited to drop for the start of his career, which he is quite good at. Edey being such a good rebounder should mitigate some concerns with drop; even if he switches onto the ball handler, he’s long and physical enough to fight for the board and avoid an offensive rebound. There’s lots of great drop defenders in the league, so this isn’t a death sentence at all. However, I do think Edey’s rapid improvement curve and innate body control should allow him to eventually play more aggressive coverages. He’s such a smart player, and he has much larger margins to err based on his dimensions. I think he’s able to eventually guard closer to the level and recover without getting brutally beat off the dribble.
Much more at the link if anyone is interested.
I haven't seen enough to summer league to say, but he did get a good bit more athletic between his Junior and Senior year, and works his ass off so it wouldn't be a surprise. There is a ceiling on how much more athletic he can get, but I expect him to do everything possible to reach that ceiling .
Gamblers like Edey. Now I'm generally interested in watching the Grizz this season
https://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/40532860/grizzlies-zach-edey-consensus-rookie-year-betting-favorite
https://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/40532860/grizzlies-zach-edey-consensus-rookie-year-betting-favorite
He's probably the only rookie who is going to start for his team, and will put up points and rebounds and blocks. He should be the favorite
Yep, he's in the right situation to put up "numbers" especially playing with Morant (whose drive, draw & dish game will serve the roller)
He went from +1400 to +600 after one SL game
Man, I have to be living on another planet if Edey is going to be starting over Aldama unless it's one of those token "play first 6 min of each half" type deals. I was actually high on Memphis being a nice bounce back team this year until I start reading this kind of insanity.
Yes but if he can't stay on the floor that opens up the ROTY award to someone else. The only issue figuring out who that other person is.
Seems like Dillingham at something like +1500 would be a good bet; seems like he'll get minutes for MIN assuming his body can hold up.
They drafted the guy number 9, they obviously feel way different about him than you do
CsBlog with a paragraph about a couple of the Cs' SL players: Celtics offseason notes and thoughts entering Summer League - CelticsBlog
- Other names worth watching on the Celtics’ Summer League roster: the team loves Tristan Enaruna, their undrafted forward from Cleveland State by way of the Netherlands, who initially committed to Kansas out of high school as a highly regarded athlete. He shot 32.2% from three last year, the best mark of his five college seasons, and could make a run at a two-way spot with a strong showing. I loved Ron Harper Jr. (Rutgers) and Killian Tillie (Gonzaga) in college, but both have dealt with injuries that have left them out of basketball for an extended period. Their presence on this roster could be more about getting looks elsewhere. Harper Jr. is a 6-4 shooter with a power forward’s frame who plays with a ton of physicality. Tillie passed, shot and showed promise at center that made him a darling prospect for Memphis early in his career. He played with Watson during their senior and freshman years, respectively. Tyler Cook, who split time in Australia and Spain last season, played high school basketball with Tatum.
taking a Kentucky Guard is a wise move
their transition defense will be a disaster every time Ja misses a rim run. I suspect Aldama & Clarke will end up playing more minutes than Edey
This 6 year stretch was crazy
2015 - Devin Booker
2016 - Jamal Murray
2017 - Malik Monk, De'Aaron Fox
2018 - SGA
2019 - Keldon Johnson, Tyler Herro
2020 - Immanuel Quickley, Tyrese Maxey
Memphis traded Adams to the Pelicans for three 2nd round picks and Oladipo at the deadline.
Quick reminder that LVSL begins today with our opening tomorrow (Sat) at 6:30pm
LAS VEGAS SUMMER LEAGUE
Friday, July 12
LAS VEGAS SUMMER LEAGUE
Friday, July 12
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic, 4 p.m. -- NBA TV
- New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 5 p.m. -- ESPN 2
- Sacramento Kings vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 6 p.m. -- NBA TV
- Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7:30 p.m. -- ESPN
- Brooklyn Nets vs. Indiana Pacers, 8 p.m. -- NBA TV
- Atlanta Hawks vs. Washington Wizards, 9:30 p.m. -- ESPN
- Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 10 p.m. -- NBA TV
I feel bad for him in a way, he's obviously very overmatched, even in Summer League. Certainly as a drafted player with a guaranteed contract, he sticks out like a sore thumb.
It's going to be a very long road to an actual NBA career as a 6'1" 3 and D guy who cant shoot or dribble (and doesn't seem very good on D so far either).
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DaRon Holmes II tore right Achilles tendon, expected out for the season.
DaRon Holmes II tore right Achilles tendon, expected out for the season.
Finished watching as much of the Rockets/Lakers game from last night....or as much as I could stomach. It's pretty clear that there is only one NBA player on the Lakers in Dalton Knecht. Bronny came out quicker than he did in his last game but then struggled with everything else from what I saw. He was really good defensively in the final California game but was matched up here with some NBA caliber players in Cam Whitmore, Reed Shepherd and Nate Williams. His lack of size was apparent too. Not the best look and like many first year fringe guys in SL he's struggling badly with his offense. He's got a ways to go.
On the flip side, holy shit Reed Sheppard looked good, in his first SL game.
This really sucks, but knowing DaRon he will bust his ass and be ready to rock in 2025-26.
Sure was and I'm a Reed guy having a Kevin Bacon-like 5 degrees of separation from him. His father Jeff played for Tubby Smith at Kentucky, who played for Coach Jerry Steele at High Point, who had left Guilford, where I played, to coach the Panthers.
Is he going to continue the tradition of stud #3 draft picks that were formerly property of the Nets?
The Nets are the 21st century Ted Stepien when it comes to trades.
On a side note, I just checked out Ted Stepien’s wiki. Train wreck is too kind a description.
Scheierman with three assists and a couple of rebounds (but 0-3 from the floor). All of the assists were pretty nifty.