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Sixers coach Nick Nurse has strong praise for draft prospect Zach Edey

ky carlin
·2 min read
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The Philadelphia 76ers have the No. 16 pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA draft as they head into an important offseason. One has to wonder what the Sixers will do with that pick due to President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey’s tendency to trade picks for win-now players.

There is one intriguing prospect at No. 16 for Philadelphia and that is Purdue big man Zach Edey. He has been absolutely dominant at the collegiate level averaging 25.2 points and 12.2 rebounds in the 2023-24 season on his way to winning AP Player of the Year for the second time in his career.

However, many wonder what he will do in the NBA. Edey is not the quickest player and one has to wonder if he will be able to keep up with some of the quicker players in the league.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse hopped on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd and gave his thoughts on Edey as he reflected on his time coaching Tem Canada:

I love him. He was 18 years old, and we were in our first training camp, and we needed some of our young kids there, and we had about four or five of them, and our guys didn’t know what to do with him. Couldn’t stop him. Forget this kid going to play in the under-18 world championship, let’s take him with our team. We didn’t do that that year, but I said, ‘Listen, this guy’s got to be part of our program.’ He’s certainly a problem. He’s super competitive. Really a super hard worker. He’s out there every day working. He’s out there every day playing. Like there’s a lot to like about this guy.

One has to wonder what Edey’s future is. Some have likened him to former Sixers big man Boban Marjanovic, but there are others who believe he can be a star in this league. Maybe Nurse and the Sixers will give him a chance in Philadelphia.

Story originally appeared on Sixers Wire