Countdown to Camp: Tyler Zeller

http://www.celticsblog.com/2015/9/21/9362985/countdown-to-camp-tyler-zeller



Countdown to Camp: Tyler Zeller
By Ryan Sharry  @rsharry35 on Sep 21, 2015, 7:38a 46





Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports
"GodZeller" is primed to build on a great first year with the Celtics...but will he be in Boston beyond 2015-16?



Tyler Zeller was one of the brightest surprises for the Celtics this past season. Zeller's two years in Cleveland were a mixed bag, so no one really knew what to make of the North Carolina product. When the Celtics had the chance to acquire the fluid and talented 7-footer for next to nothing, they jumped at the chance to find out for themselves.

"GodZeller" played only 14 minutes a game over the course of the first 13 games this past year, but he made the most of those minutes, converting a crazy 68.9% of his attempts. Zeller eventually worked his way into a starting role, and proved that he could maintain that efficiency over a greater number of attempts. He shot 54.9% over the course of the whole season, which was good for 6th among all players who took over 500 shots (and Zeller finished with 619).

Looking forward to this year, Zeller will have to earn his minutes again. The Celtics will have five bigs vying for playing time, and there is only so much to go around. What works in Zeller's favor is that he possesses skills that other members of the team don't, from his wide array of flip shots and floaters rolling off the pick and roll to his ambidextrous hook shots out of the post. He also adds another element to the offense with his ability to run the floor, giving the Celtics opportunities for easy baskets.

Zeller gives the Celtics an element of rim protection as well - something they certainly don't have in abundance. Zeller isn't the prototypical rim protector in that he doesn't block a lot of shots, but he makes up for it by being in the right place at the right time. He is a presence in the paint and can bother shots with his long arms and big frame.

Another interesting development over the next couple of months will be whether Zeller gets an extension. The deadline is October 31st, and reports are that both sides are open to a deal. Though he might not project as a starter on a championship team, locking up a player with his skills and size could be expensive. Zach Lowe elaborates here:

Zeller was one of last season's pleasant surprises, scoring efficiently in a variety of ways and providing on-again, off-again rim protection for a Boston defense in desperate need of it. Depending on team context, Zeller looks like either a dynamite third big man or a very nice fourth/fifth starter. Those guys are going to run into the eight figures in the new NBA, and if Boston can snag Zeller long-term for anything under $12 million, it may jump at the chance.

At first, a deal that rich might sound ridiculous, but it really isn't if you take a closer look. Under last year's cap, $10 million a year would take up almost 16%. Moving forward a couple years, when the TV money inflates the cap into the neighborhood of $110 million, that deal would only take up 9% of the cap.

Something else to take into account is Zeller (hopefully) hasn't reached his peak as a player - there is still room for him to grow. It might be shocking, but Zeller is still only 25 years old.

One area that Zeller could improve is his jump shooting. That's not in reference to his percentages, but rather his attempts. This past year, on all shots classified as "mid-range" on nba.com/stats, Zeller had the highest percentage of anyone who took more than 100 shots. He shot 68-132 from that area, which translates to 51.5%. Better than Nowitzki, better than Chris Paul, better than Bosh... number one!

Granted, Zeller didn't even take two a game, so it is a small sample size. However, Zeller made his fair share in 2013-14 as well, making 48% on 75 attempts, which was 10th of anyone who took as many attempts that year. Zeller has shown over the course of the past two years he can hit that shot with the best of them. The next step is more actively seeking that shot out in the offense. Though the midrange jumper is becoming less and less popular in today's NBA, it can still be a valuable shot when converted at that rate. If he could hit that shot on a regular basis out of the pick and pop, especially with IT4, that would add another dangerous element to the Celtics offense.

The frontcourt is definitely more crowded this season with the additions of Amir Johnson and David Lee to go along with incumbents Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger, but Zeller proved last year he deserves significant minutes this year and a role on this team for years to come. It would be great to see Zeller in Boston for the long haul, and hopefully the two sides can work out a deal.

Either way, Zeller looks primed to build on his first year in Celtic green and help bring the team back to the playoffs.



bob
MY NOTE:  "Zeller", "Zilla"; ok, I get the joke, but that's all it is.  Zeller was a good center last year, not great, and certainly NOT a monster.  I think his offense is underrated and underappreciated, in general.  He is clever around the hoop, even if he's not a rim-rocker (even the file foto they used shows him flipping the ball at the hoop and not ramming it home), and he has a very nice elbow jumper that I expect to see more of this year as Brad tries to create space for Lee and Amir and Sully.  He could stand to be more of a rim-rocker, and maybe this year he will be.  Defensively, he's a good defender positionally but he either doesn't have the strength or doesn't use the strength to body people off the low blocks.  Well, he will now have an entire summer to build whatever kind of body and game Brad wants and we'll see soon.  Media day is in 4 days.  Let's see if he looks bigger/heavier/stronger.  I think he and Kelly have a trait in common and that is they're not mean.  They don't want to impose their will upon others, they just want the game to come to them.  That, however, is sometimes the difference between an all-star and a good player.  All-Stars want to kill everybody every minute of every game.  Good players look for their spots.  Bottom line, though, is that Tyler Zeller is either a very good backup center or an adequate, but not choice, starting center.  Danny cannot be happy with that and I would be well and truly shocked if he was.  Let's face it though, legit starting NBA centers are expensive beyond all belief and the idea of "just draft one" is French for "take a chance, wait 3-4 years until they grow into their bodies and then see if they're a winner or the next Greg Oden or Olawakandi".  Luc Longley, Will Perdue and Bill Wennington didn't scaring anybody either, but they got the job done and not letting the opposing center go hog-wild was all MJ and Pippen needed.  If Kelly and Zeller and Lee can just minimize any domination by the opposing team's centers then that might be all Thomas and the rest of the crew needs.  Yeah, I know MJ was MJ, but the idea of "you can win with mediocre centers if the rest of the team executes well" has been proven.

This all changes when Danny trades for Horford, or Cousins, or...



.

I really did appreciate watching Zeller all of last season.  He continually improved throughout the season to become a solid NBA player.  He did not finish the year as a dominating center that most of us think the Cs need, but still a very good player on a surprisingly good team for its last 30+ games.

He could easily be considered one of the very top second string centers, even on the top clubs, in the league, but will still have to play above and beyond second string minutes this year for the Celtics (at least until they find a truer first string center).

He will again contribute in his 20-25 minutes per game, and I would not be surprised to see him improve even more this season. He should be stronger this year to start with.   He seems to 'want it' and that is a great place to start.  He also seems to fit in very well with the team and that is another strong plus for him.   Zeller getting a nice extension contract with Boston is very likely.