NBA Draft 2024: Top 3 options for Los Angeles Lakers with the 17th overall pick

2. C, Zach Edey, Purdue

Zach Edey is a very hard player to predict where he may go. Some executives believe he is a lottery-level player, and others think he is a late first-rounder or an early second-rounder. The fact of the matter is that the Lakers have struggled to get a center that can play alongside Anthony Davis and allow Davis to play the four.

Don’t expect Edey to come in and start, but he would provide an outlet off the bench, being an elite rim protector with a big body and a beautiful touch around the rim. During his time at Purdue, he was a two-time player of the year and surpassed 2,500 career points and 1,300 rebounds. This past season, Edey averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks while shooting 62.3% from the field. 

People can say he isn’t an NBA-type player and won’t amount to much, but he dominated in college, and his size is impactful no matter how you look at it. If the Lakers goal is to maximize what LeBron James has left and build a championship team next season, Zach Edey makes plenty of sense to add because his impact will be felt right away.