https://www.theringer.com/2023/3/15/23640235/zach-edey-purdue-boilermakers A very emotional journey. This guy is a fighter. He will be better than Yao.
Yao is in the Basketball of Hall of Fame, that's a tall bar to clear. In terms of people inducted into HoF as players, sorted by most seasons played in HOU. Yao is #4. Hakeem - 17 seasons in HOU Calvin - 13 seasons Rudy - 11 seasons Yao - 8 seasons ———————— Elvin - 7 seasons Moses - 6 seasons Tracy - 6 seasons Ralph - 5 seasons Dikembe - 5 Seasons Clyde - 4 seasons — Passing through — Barkley - 4 seasons Rick Barry - 2 seasons Pippen - 1 season If Edey gets drafted to a team like the Spurs, Mavs or LAL, would we be talking about this.
Zach and Yao have more similarities than just their Chinese heritage. They are similar size, with Yao being taller with about a 1/2" more standing reach and Zach having a longer wingspan and about 1/2" more vertical. They seem around the same speed, with Edey maybe a tad faster and having better conditioning. Edey has more range, and more dominant post game. Yao is a better passer. Both are great with FTs, but Edey is more physical and may be even more of a foul magnet. Yao may be a better shot blocker but may be pretty close. I'd say Edey is Yao with better post game and shooting
Yao's bred and butter was the post game. He had the softest hands you'll find for a center. The shot was gracious has attested by his free throw percentage. JVG didn't want him outside the paint, so this is where he mostly developed his game in the NBA, but he was more than capable of hitting his 3s. I like Zach Edey, I think he'll have a great NBA career, want the Rockets to find a way to get him later in the draft, but let not be carried away, no way his shooting is better than Yao's for now. The guy is an HoF for good reason. For now I'll give Edey the edge only on the upper body strength and the durability side. We'll see how his dominant play on the post translate.
I was comparing pre-draft Edey to pre-draft Yao. It took Yao about 2 years of training with Hakeem to get solid with his post instincts. Yao was a Hall of Famer because his game kept growing after he got in the league. For a while he could be denied in the post by fronting him with a wing. Edey is already dominating in SL like he did in college, he's now one of the favorites for Rookie of the Year. Did we miss a shot at the best player in the draft or will Reed's dominant shooting still be a better asset?
Reed will be more important for us. But I would have liked to get them both. I am almost sure Edey will have a better career than Donovan Clingan (who was the favourite of the anti-Sengun crowd here).
Reed gives you three-point shooting, playmaking and lots of steals and blocks from the guard position.
Get this huge dork out of the GARM. He will never whiff Yao’s farts the poor b*stard. To the NBA Dish with this nonsense!
Rockets shy away from bringing Centers or PF's to challenge Sengun. They bring no threat Jock Landale and coming off severe injury Steven Adams. Edey would have done everything better than Sengun.....except pass (which is an overrated thing). Rockets averaged only one less assist per game when Sengun didn't play. Could have paid more money to Brook Lopez because you know, we had to spend money .....then we crapped the bed. Edited: correction, team assists were the same (24.8 assists) with or without Sengun in 23/24 according to statmuse
We will find out soon enough. I'd rather play inside out and protect the rim. If I need a bucket, I feel like it's easier to get it from 8ft vs 24ft.
You are in luck, because you have one of the best players in the NBA at scoring from 8ft on the team already - Alperen Sengun. He also anchors a top 10 defense already.
