Chinese center Zach Edey told ESPN that he has officially submitted his candidacy papers to the NBA and is ready to devote himself to the 2024 draft. In the latest ESPN mock draft, his name is ranked 14th, and the future is bright.
"I think it's time to take that step. "I'm able to defend inside and outside, and I can even keep up with the defenders. ”
Standing at 2.24m tall and weighing 129 kilograms, Zhou Zhihao became the first American player of the year to be voted unanimously since Bill Wharton in 1973. This season, he averaged 24.9 points and 12.2 rebounds per game, ranking first and third in the country, respectively. On the court at Purdue, he not only broke the school's scoring and rebounding records, but also broke history with an astonishing personal score of over 2,500 points and 1,300 rebounds.
In the NCAA finals, although Purdue University failed to win the championship and lost to Cornell University, Zhou Zhihao won the honor himself, scoring 37 points and 10 rebounds, becoming the highest scoring player in a championship game since 1978. Throughout the NCAA tournament, he amassed 177 points, a feat that made him tied with Bill Bradley in 1965 for second all-time scoring behind Glenn Rice in 1989.
Chow's basketball career was somewhat unusual, as he didn't get into the sport until his sophomore year of high school, when he was an ice hockey and baseball player. He believes this has given him a unique perspective on sports and room to grow, "I'm still learning and mastering the fundamentals of basketball, which are things that other people might have learned at a very young age. Every day I train at Purdue is about expanding my horizons and skills. ”
Despite his remarkable achievements, Chow is confident that he can show more on a higher stage. "The games in college are completely different from the games in the NBA. There are a lot of skills that I haven't had a chance to show yet. At Purdue, I'm focused on how to win races and streamline my technical moves, but I know I'm improving every year, and I have reason to believe I can do better in the future. ”
Regarding his upcoming NBA career, Zhou Zhihao is full of expectations, "I need more time to stay on the court, I have to learn how to control fouls. A lot of people may not have noticed, but my passing ability was actually excellent. When I receive the ball in the low post, although my first priority is to score, I can also adapt to different situations and play better than I have this season. ”
In the 2023 NBA Draft, Zhou briefly participated but chose to return to Purdue for another year, a decision that clearly paid off, as he is now widely considered a hot rookie to be in the top 20 of the draft. "I don't care so much about which pick I'm going to be selected, I'm more concerned about finding a team that really believes in me and my abilities. ”
The NBA Draft will take place in New York on June 27 and 28, and the two days will decide the fate of many young players. The first-round draft will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, while the second-round draft will take place at ESPN's studio in Manhattan. For Zhou Zhihao, this will be a new starting point in his basketball career.