- Former Purdue center Zach Edey is expected to be selected in Wednesday's first round of the NBA Draft.
INDIANAPOLIS – Zach Edey spent four seasons setting a new standard of excellence for Purdue basketball big men.
Wednesday night he may establish another by becoming the highest-drafted big man of the Matt Painter era. Many projections have the two-time national player of the year — the central force within Purdue’s first Final Four appearance since 1980 — landing in the top 20 picks of the first round.
Painter, though, has long pointed out merely being drafted is not the hard part in an NBA career. Longevity and impact are much more elusive. Edey’s predecessors in the post know that firsthand.
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For years, many wondered why Purdue built around big men poorly suited for the modern NBA. It was a fair question. Not since Carl Landry in Painter’s first seasons has a Boiler 6-9 or taller made it to the league and produced a memorable tenure.
Edey, though, has a good chance to thwart that trend. For starters, he excelled at a level above those predecessors. The careers of All-Americans and Big Ten Players of the Year look modest when compared to Edey’s stretch of dominance the past two seasons.
Also, while Edey’s game resembles that of a traditional big man, his massive 7-4, 300-pound stature is anything but traditional — even in the NBA. That frame may withstand the league’s rigors better than some of the leaner prospects who preceded him at Mackey.
Purdue has consistently produced big men who went on to long pro careers, as listed below. Yet it may be Edey, a Canadian, who finally builds that professional legacy in American.
Carl Landry
The Milwaukee native became a Boilermaker by way of the junior college route at Vincennes. He lasted until the first pick of the second round but established a nine-year career as a productive reserve. He finished in the top 10 of the Sixth Man of the Year voting twice and 11th once. Over the course of 513 games with five franchises, the 6-9 post man earned over $47 million, per Pro Basketball Reference.
JaJuan Johnson
The Celtics selected the Franklin Central grad with the 27th overall pick in 2011’s first round. He played 36 games off the bench in his lone NBA season, averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds. He spent the following season with three G League teams before embarking on a long career overseas.
Sandi Marcius
The Croatian transferred to DePaul to finish his career and never had a real NBA shot. However, he’s had the longest pro career of any recent Boiler big man. He spent most of the past decade playing in Spanish pro leagues, including last season for Acunsa GBC.
A.J. Hammons
One of the few in-state products on the list, the 7-foot Hammons went 46th overall to the Dallas Mavericks in 2016. His NBA career lasted only one season and 22 games off the bench. He was traded to the Heat, but spent his only other professional season on assignment with the G-League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Caleb Swanigan
The highest draft pick on this list went No. 26 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2018. He played 75 NBA games over three seasons with them and the Sacramento Kings, averaging 2.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 8.7 minutes. Sadly, only two years after the end of that truncated career, Swanigan died at age 25.
Isaac Haas
In terms of sheer size, the nearly 7-3, 303-pound Alabama native most closely resembles Edey’s stature. He played with the Utah Jazz summer league team and with their G Leaue affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars. He also played three seasons of profesisonal basketball in China.
Matt Haarms
Though he did not complete his career as a Boilermaker, instead transferring to BYU, the 7-3 Dutch product was the tallest player in program history before Edey. He has played overseas and with the Netherlands national team since leaving college.
Trevion Williams
The 6-10 Chicago native received a couple of NBA looks, from Boston and Golden State, after earning Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year honors. He began playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany’s Bundesliga in 2023. Earlier this month, the Valley Suns selected him in the G League Expansion Draft and will hold his rights for two years.
If he decides to come back to the states, maybe he and Edey can eventually experience a rare Boilermaker big man reunion in the NBA.
Follow IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird.
