Is Zach Edey withdrawing from the 2023 NBA Draft? Exploring the Purdue big man's impact on the Big Ten
Zach Edey recently announced that he will return to the Purdue Boilermakers for his senior season of college basketball. The 2023 national college player of the year had previously entered the 2023 NBA draft, however, he withdrew his name from the draft process on Wednesday.
Edey shared a clip of actor Leonardo DiCaprio from the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street," simply captioning the post:
"RUN IT BACK🔄"
Check out Zach Edey's announcement below:
RUN IT BACK🔄 https://t.co/oJfQTbX6SP
How has Zach Edey performed in his college career?
Zach Edey joined the Purdue Boilermakers as a three-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. He reclassified from the 2021 class.
Edey averaged 8.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 59.7% from the field in limited playing time as a freshman. He was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Edey stepped into a bigger role the following season. He averaged 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.2 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 64.8% from the field. Edey was named to the second-team All-Big Ten.
He was dominant last season, averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.2 steals and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 60.7% from the field. Edey was named the national college player of the year and Big Ten Player of the Year. He was also a consensus first-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten while also being named Big Ten All-Defensive Team.
How will Zach Edey's return impact the Big Ten?
Zach Edey was not only the best player in the Big Ten last season, but also the best player in all of college basketball.
The 7'4 center proved too big for many teams to guard, helping lead the Purdue Boilermakers to Big Ten championships in both the regular season and conference tournament.
Purdue earned the No.1 seed in the East Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. They became the second team to lose to a No.16 as they were upset by the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights in their first game of the tournament.
The star big man was not projected to be selected in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft, likely contributing to his decision to return.
Edey's return means that the Boilermakers will bring back all five of their starters next season. Purdue will likely be the best team in the Big Ten and one of the best teams in the country.