Report: Zach Edey, others work out for Sacramento Kings

Jun 17, 2024, 1:28 PM | Updated: 1:29 pm

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - APRIL 06: Zach Edey #15 of the Purdue Boilermakers walks across the court in th...

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

The NBA Draft is next week, meaning the time is now for teams to conduct last-minute pre-draft workouts with prospects they are evaluating before June 26th arrives.

According to FOX 40’s Sean Cunningham, the Sacramento Kings brought in another wave of players for workouts on Monday. One of those players will undoubtedly raise some eyebrows, as Purdue talent and two-time National College Player of the Year winning center Zach Edey was in attendance at Golden 1 Center.

Edey, 22, is a question mark heading into the draft as some talent evaluators project the 7 ‘ 4 big to fall towards the end of the first round–or quite possibly, the beginning of the second round.

Kings hosted a big pre-draft workout in Sacramento today. According to league sources, Zach Edey (Purdue 7’4 C), Kel’el Ware (Indiana 7’0 C), Jamison Battle (Ohio St. 6’7 PF), Boogie Ellis (USC 6’1 SG), RayJ Dennis (Baylor 6’2 PG) & Jonathan Mogbo (USF 6’9 PF) participated.

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) June 17, 2024

One team could roll the dice on the shot-blocking center in the lottery range, and the Kings appear to be leaving no stone unturned as they search for a steal at 13th in the draft.

Along with Edey, Sacramento also brought in Indiana center Kel’el Ware (20th on the big board), Ohio State forward Jamison Battle, USC guard Boogie Ellis, Baylor guard RayJ Dennis, and USF forward Jonathan Mogbo.

Zach Edey| C | Height: 7’4| Weight: 299 lbs | Age: 22 | Big Board: 29th

Scouting Report via NBA Draft Room

Zach Edey is one of the most interesting prospects to evaluate and is such a unique player that it’s hard to project his game to the NBA level. It seems likely that he’ll just be too slow and get roasted over and over again trying to defend NBA speed, but he could also be a situational difference-maker off the bench to find a specific role and a way to contribute to an NBA team.

At 7-4 and over 300 lbs, he’s a bit bigger than Boban Marjanovic. On defense, he can contribute by clogging the lane and altering shots but could also get lost in the league’s up-and-down speed. His elite length and size will always be a factor around the rim.

Edey has nice hands and a good touch around the rim. He finishes plays pretty well, draws plenty of fouls, and has developed into a solid FT shooter at over 70%.

He does a good job of keeping the ball high and putting the ball up quickly to avoid getting stripped. He knows his role, gets into the paint, and throws his weight around. His size really ‘wows’ you when he elevates to dunk the ball, and he can be unstoppable once he gets a deep position in the paint.

Has a good touch on half hooks and little flip shots and layups around the rim.

Unstoppable at the college level but an awkward fit in today’s NBA.

When is the next Sacramento Kings off-season date of interest?

The NBA Draft is now a two-night event.

Wednesday, June 26th, will act as the first night of the 2024 NBA Draft, where the Sacramento Kings will make their first-round selection (13th). The second round of the draft will be held on Thursday, June 27th, where the Kings will use its 45th overall pick.

Sacramento hasn’t had a first-round pick since 2022, when it selected Iowa product Keegan Murray with the fourth overall pick.

Stay locked into Sactown Sports for all of your Kings draft coverage, including player profiles, reports regarding pre-draft workouts, draft night coverage, and much more.

NBA Offseason Schedule