Zach Edey vs. Shaquille O'Neal: College stats, achievements, and career compared
A handful of players have been touted as the next MJ, Kobe Bryant and LeBron Jmes, but Shaquille O'Neal's mantle remains intact. Despite stepping foot on the NBA hardwood in 1992, Shaquille O'Neal is still said to be the most dominant big man ever.
Beginning his career as a lean and super athletic seven-foot-one center who loved cruising coast-to-coast, Shaq became an even more staunch ruler of the paint with age as he began benefitting from his size.
The putbacks, decisive footwork, glass-shredding slams, lob threat and bullish trash-talking have never been repeated since. Nevertheless, every now and then, fans expect some hints of Shaq's skills in a young prospect. Zach Edey brings that in the 2024 Draft pool, mostly due to his seven-foot-four 300 lb frame, similar to the Diesel.
Even though Edey's style is compared to Boban Marjanovic, bigger Ivica Zubac or bigger Eric Montross, one can't delve into his promising measurements. With that, let's look into the collegiate careers of Zach Edey and Shaquille O'Neal
Zach Edey vs. Shaquille O'Neal college career
Shaq's freshman season vs Zach Edey
In 1989, Shaquille O’Neal put his skills to notice early by garnering a season-high 26 points off the bench.
He quickly earned a starting role, playing only four games off the bench to post two triple-doubles and 21 double-doubles in 32 games. He broke several SEC conference records, LSU records and NCAA records with his 115 blocks that year.
Meanwhile, Zach Edey, the 2020 three-star recruit at Purdue operated from the bench his entire freshman year.
However, he saw extended court time near the NCAA tournament and became a reliable crunch-time center with his 71% free throw shooting. While he only played under 15 minutes per game, he still managed the Big Ten All-Freshman Team honor.
Shaquille O'Neal vs Zach Edey freshman year college stats:
Shaquille O'Neal's sophomore season vs Zach Edey
O'Neal won five Player of the Year awards in his sophomore year alongside two Athlete of the Year honors.
Despite missing two games due to a leg injury, he led the LSU and the nation in rebounding, with 14.7 per game, and broke his blocks record by recording 140. Moreover, he also posted a stat line of 31 points, 21 rebounds and 10 blocks against Florida while breaking several program and conference records.
Edey found a starting spot and posted 24 points and 10 rebounds under 20 minutes. He led the Big Ten conference in field goal efficiency, garnered statistical highs in almost every aspect of his game and became the only player to post 14/7/1/1 under 20 minutes in the last 30 years.
Moreover, 10 of Zach Edey's 11 double-doubles came under 25 minutes of action, good enough for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff All-Tournament team and second-team All-Big Ten.
Shaquille O'Neal vs Zach Edey sophomore year college stats:
Shaquille O'Neal's junior season vs Zach Edey
O’Neal repeated with multiple Player of the Year awards, First-Team All-American honors by multiple organizations and Athlete of the Year honors.
He led the league with his shot efficiency and shot blocking and ranked second in scoring and rebounding. His 11 blocked shots against BYU and 43 points vs Northern Arizona became an NCAA record.
Zach Edey developed to be a double-double machine and won all six major National Player of the Year Awards. He was recognized as the nation's top center, as he led all schools with double-doubles while ranking second in rebounds.
Moreover, he became the first player in NCAA history to post 750 points, 400 rebounds, 50 assists and 70 blocks.
Shaquille O'Neal vs Zach Edey junior year college stats:
Shaquille O'Neal's senior season vs Zach Edey
Shaquille O’Neal dissolved his college eligibility to mount an NBA entry in 1992. He made it to the big league while being LSU’s leader in single-game blocked shots (12) and single-season blocked shots (157) career blocked shots (412).
Moreover, Shaq was just fourth in total points (1,941), scoring average (21.6), second in rebounds (1,217) and third in career rebound average (13.5) as he posted 73 double-doubles in three years.
Zach Edey made his case for one of the most dominating college basketball players in his last season. He improved on what already was the most statistically dominating college basketball season and became the only player to average at least 25.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 blocks in NCAA history.
Edey repeated as the winner of all six major National Player of the Year awards and posted the third highest scoring (177 points) in March Madness history, behind 37 points in NCAA finals.
Moreover, Edey posted 26 double-doubles and joined Shaquille O’Neal as the only player to record at least 22.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks on 60% for consecutive seasons.