When we watched him play in college, there were serious questions about Zach Edey’s prospects at the next level. The 7’4” center from Purdue was dominant during his team’s run to the Final Four, but he was seen as slow footed and unathletic in comparison to today’s NBA players. Some had thought that the Memphis Grizzlies made a mistake by selecting him 9th overall in the 2024 Draft.
But just over two months into the season, he has realistic odds of winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
Does Zach Edey Have A Shot At Winning NBA Rookie Of The Year?
It looked like the honors were Jared McCain’s to lose. The first year player for the 76ers was playing shoulders above all of the other rookies through the 6 weeks of the 2024-25 campaign, but suffered an unfortunate injury that required season-ending surgery. His absence opened up the door for others to be considered, and Spurs guard Stephon Castle surged straight to the top.
Best Plus/Minus Per Game Among Rookies In The 2024-25 NBA Regular Season (Min. 10 Games Played & 8.0 MPG) :
1. Zach Edey — +5.1
2. Jaylen Wells — +3.6
3. Ajay Mitchell — +3.4
4. Kel’el Ware — +2.1
5. Pelle Larsson — +1.0
6. Matas Buzelis — +0.6… https://t.co/6Rw6GDgEyZ pic.twitter.com/h69wJBxtfL— Stat Defender (@statdefender) December 24, 2024
Even then, Edey was seen as something of a long shot. He had missed 12 games himself with injuries, which will affect his consideration for the award at the end of the season, but has put up some of the best numbers of any rookie when he has been available. His best performance came back in November, when he went 10 for 11 from the field and scored 25 points while pulling down 12 rebounds. He set his season and career high in boards on Monday night when he tallied 14 against the Clippers.
Zach Edey’s consideration for the award has more to do with a lack of competition than any impressive numbers. None of the 5 candidates with the lowest odds of winning ROY average more than 12 points, which would mark the lowest per game average of any winner since the 2016-17 NBA season (Malcolm Brogdon, 10.2 points).
| Stephon Castle | +200 |
| Yves Missi | +220 |
| Zach Edey | +600 |
Castle is currently the outright leader on the odds board, coming in with a designation of +200, according to DraftKings. But Pelicans’ center Yves Missi has been closing in in recent days, and is just slightly behind at +220. Edey is further back, but has the 3rd-shortest odds at +600.
#2 overall pick Alexandre Sarr is next at +900, and the top-5 is rounded out with a tie between Jaylen Wells and Zaccharie Risacher at +1400 each.
