Olynyk impressed with Edey’s growth
Raptors centre Kelly Olynyk shook his head in disbelief when he heard fellow Canadian Zach Edey had won the Naismith award as U.S. college basketball’s player of the year for a second time.
“That guy is nice,” said Olynyk, chuckling, as he drew out the “nice” for emphasis.
Edey’s Purdue Boilermakers faced the UConn Huskies on Monday night in the NCAA men’s basketball final. On Sunday, the 21year-old centre from Toronto became only the third male player to win back-to-back Naismiths, joining Hall of Famers Ralph Sampson and Bill Walton.
Olynyk got to know Edey well on Canada’s national team, which won a bronze medal at the FIBA World Cup last September.
“He’s leaps and bounds better, like his improvement has been unreal,” said Olynyk, who first met Edey three years ago. “He’s a great kid, he wants to work, wants to get better, takes criticism well.
“Just watching him play in college, he’s just so dominant and he’s super efficient, playing the right way and literally just carrying his team.”
Edey averaged 24.9 points per game for Purdue this season, the most by any NCAA men’s player, while his 12.2 rebounds per game were third-most. But it’s how he’s scoring that has caught Olynyk’s attention.
“His basketball IQ is a lot better,” Olynyk said in the Raptors locker room at Scotiabank Arena. “I think a lot of fans probably wouldn’t see it. But if you play the game, if you know the game, you see it.
“He sees where the help’s coming from, and he’s making the right plays and passing or pivoting away from the help, knows where it’s coming from.”
At seven-foot-four and 300 pounds, Edey is an imposing presence on any court. Olynyk said Edey’s fitness has improved, too, over the course of the season.
“He’s just been a lot better, but a lot of it has to do with his body,” said Olynyk, who was born in Toronto but moved to Kamloops, B.C. in his youth. “It’s leaning out a little bit, his movement, strength and balance. All that kind of stuff has improved.”