Bob Donnan – USA TODAY Sports
With the 2024 NBA Draft fast approaching, the Los Angeles Lakers could be looking to add a talented prospect to their roster.
They currently own the 17th and 55th overall picks and while it's possible they could trade one or both, maintaining the status quo is the most likely scenario.
If the Lakers hold the 17th pick, there are several players rumored to be linked to the team, one of which is Purdue center Zach Eddy.
Eddie, who has been named the National Player of the Year for the past two consecutive years and is the face of college basketball, has a physique that no other player can match, standing 7 feet 3.75 inches tall, with arms measuring 7 feet 10.75 inches and weighing 299 pounds.
Eddie appeared in 39 games last season and averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.2 blocks while shooting 62.3% from the field and 71.1% from the free throw line.
Strengths
Eddie was essentially unstoppable in the paint during his college days, and it's not just because of his size: The big man has great footwork down low, a soft touch around the rim and a great hook shot in the post.
He also understands how to use his body down low to shut down defenses, he has shown the ability to make good reads as a passer when double-teamed, and he keeps the ball up high so he rarely loses it to smaller guards.
Defensively, he's a solid rim protector and has the size and strength to compete with most big men on the block, he's also a good rebounder and puts in a great effort when at a defensive disadvantage against quicker players.
It's also worth noting that he has thrived in smaller roles both in college and as a member of the Canadian national team — he's not a player who needs to be the focal point of an offense, which he did the past two seasons at Purdue — but he's also thrived when deployed as more of a defensive presence and screener.
Eddie also had a big year and stepped up his game on the big stage during the March Madness Tournament, averaging 29.5 points and 14.5 rebounds in six tournament games.
Weaknesses
The concerns with Eddie are obvious and are centered mainly around his lack of athleticism and foot speed, which is especially worrisome defensively, as he struggles greatly when pulled away from the rim and frequently gets beaten by perimeter players when substituted.
This is far more common in the NBA, where teams are much more likely to target him in the pick-and-roll than they were in college.
Offensively, he doesn't have much of a perimeter game and is limited to being a finisher around the rim, and while he is a decent free throw shooter, there is a glimmer of hope he can at least extend his shooting range into the mid-range area, but he doesn't offer any spot-up shooting at the moment.
Fits the Lakers
Eddie has been the best player in college basketball for the past two years. In both 2023 and 2024, he was named National Player of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year, won the Pete Newell Big Man of the Year Award, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and was named to the All-American First Team.
The Lakers have had to deal with big men whenever Anthony Davis comes off the bench, and they needed a team with more power to compete against some of the league's more physical centers, and Eddie certainly fits the bill.
Ideally, Eddie will step in as a reserve right away and provide size, rebounding and rim protection to help make up for what the Lakers will lose with Davis off the court, as well as being a guy the team can use to get a little offense going from time to time.
But in today's NBA, a big, slow center, like a player like Nikola Jokic or Joel Embiid, has to be someone else in other aspects of the game as well. Eddie isn't that type of player, so the Lakers will have to wait and see if his strengths ultimately outweigh his weaknesses.
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