Unlocking Greatness: Matt Painter Reveals Why Zach Edey is Poised for NBA Stardom
Purdue’s legendary coach Matt Painter believes Zach Edey has the potential to become an NBA All-Star, citing the 7-foot-4 center’s impressive defensive skills, elite rebounding ability and emerging scoring talent.
A lot of people who didn’t believe in Zach Edey were wrong about him in his first NBA season.
The former Purdue star lost a few games because of injuries, but he finished his rookie year with the Memphis Grizzlies averaging 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, which earned him spots on the NBA’s All-Rookie Team.
Matt Painter, who used to train him, thinks that’s just the start. During his last two years at Purdue, Edey was one of the best college basketball players ever.
In 2023 and 2024, he won the National Player of the Year award. Some people didn’t think the 7-foot-4 centre would fit in when he went to the NBA, though.
There were some things Edey could have done better with his game, but for an NBA rookie, he did a great job. When Painter talked to Gary Parrish of CBS Sports, he said that the former Boilermaker will get better as he stays in the league.
“Over time, I think he’ll become more of an offensive player.” Painter said on Summer Shootaround, “They’ll learn to trust him a bit more.”
No longer is it a post-up game, but there are still benefits to getting to the bonus and free throw line. Since he’s a good player in the league, I think he’ll get more calls because they’ll begin to notice a trend.
That group of guys doesn’t want to fight him; they don’t want to do that all the time, and he’s fine with that.
Along with the numbers Edey put up in Memphis, he also served as a bit of an enforcer in his rookie season. With an imposing 7-foot-4, 300-pound frame, he was quick to step in and defend teammates like Ja Morant and Desmond Bane.
That’s another thing Painter enjoys seeing from his former player.
“I love that he’s protecting those guys,” Painter said. “He gives that old-school Maurice Lucas protection, and he’s not scared, not scared one bit.”
Painter says Edey can be NBA All-Star
Edey was solid for most of his rookie season, but he really shined late in the year after the Grizzlies made a coaching change, moving on from Taylor Jenkins and naming Tuomas Iisalo the leader.
Memphis played 15 games after the swap, nine regular-season contests, two more in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and four games in the first round of the playoffs.
In that stretch, Edey posted 9.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. The 7-foot-4 center recorded five double-doubles in the final 15 contests.
Edey’s play late in the year is the reason why Painter believes he can be an All-Star at some point in his career.
“In the right scenario, he can be an All-Star. You saw at the end (of the season) where he had some of those monster rebounding games. He can consistently do that, I know that,” Painter said. “Whatever you want him to do, you just have to talk him through it. He’s cool. He just wants to win.”
Without question, Edey had to make some adjustments in the NBA. He went from being the focal point of Purdue’s offense for two years to embracing a role in Memphis. That’s not always an easy thing to do.
Yet Edey bought into his role and is determined to improve. With a leg injury that will keep him sidelined for a while, his progression may be slightly delayed for the 2025-26 season.
Still, Painter predicts a bright NBA future for the former Boilermaker.
He changes ends better than you think, he’s a better defensive player than you think, I think he can be an elite rebounder, I think he can score more than he’s shown so far,” Painter said. “But he’s also fitting in with the winning pieces there, and that’s what you have to do.
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