Did UConn’s defense shut down Zach Edey? Draymond Green thinks so
In typical fashion, the Warriors’ star gave a harsh critique of Purdue’s star. Now, while the Boilermakers lost, it wasn’t for a lack of effort on Zach Edey’s part.
If there’s one guy you can count on to stoke the flames, it’s the Warriors’ big man. True to form, he took aim at Purdue’s star following the Boilermakers’ loss to Connecticut’s Huskies in the National Championship Game On Monday night. Yet, one has to wonder whether it was justified given Purdue’s center’s performance.
Draymond Green takes a shot at Zach Edey
On Monday night, Purdue took on UConn in what has got to be considered one of the best NCAA men’s basketball title games that we’ve seen in years. With two No. 1 ranked teams meeting for only the tenth time in history, and two 7-foot centers meeting in a championship game for only the second time, it was always going to be epic. Sadly, despite the 37 points and 10 rebounds that he put on the board, Zach Edey - the back-to-back Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year - was unable to prevent his Boilermakers from going down 75-60 against the Huskies.
That of course brings us to the choice words of Golden State Warriors big man, Draymond Green, who was apparently left unimpressed by Edey’s outing and took to social media after the game to let everybody know that. Indeed, Green stated that the Huskies defense made Edey “quit” during the second half of the game, writing on social media a rather bleak assessment of Edey’s play: “Job Well Done 35! You did your job tonight. It was him that made Edey quit with about 19 mins to go in the 2nd half. There was a turnover and I saw Edey body language walking back. He was done. Now rewatch the game from that point on.”
As for the No. 35 that Green was complimenting, that would be Huskies forward Samson Johnson who only played five minutes in the game and fouled out toward the end. Yet, upon closer inspection one has to question whether there is merit to Green’s take or if it’s simply a case of the 34-year-old taking a shot at a player who plays his same position and will likely be facing him in the NBA next season.
The idea of the latter gains more traction when you consider one specific fact. Ahead of Monday’s big game, the Boilermakers were ranked as the second-best 3-point team in the nation. Against the Huskies, they only managed to score 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, while Edey posted his 30th double-double of that season. That doesn’t seem like a player that was shut down to us, but rather a team that saw its typically excellent long-range game severely hindered by the Huskies’ frantic defense. Regardless, the Boilermakers’ wait for a first championship will continue, while the Huskies have now made history by winning their second straight title. As for Green, we’ll just put it down to him doing what he does best.