Should Tyler Zeller Start For The Boston Celtics?

The Celtics’ current starting frontcourt is comprised of Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk. Now, I don’t foresee Brad Stevens making changes to the rotation any time soon – the team isn’t coming apart at the seams or anything – but these rebuilding years are the perfect time for experimentation. Perhaps the ideal place to start looking for possible rotation experiments is backup center Tyler Zeller.

The question is: who would Zeller replace in the starting lineup, Sullinger or Olynyk? Both have their distinct strengths and weaknesses; it would be hard to make a case that one is a far superior NBA player than the other. So let’s weigh the case for each.

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But first, Zeller’s strengths. The former Cavalier is a serviceable scorer. He’s not flashy and his skills don’t suggest the C’s should run plays for him, but Zeller is a good clean up scorer. Though he only attempts a couple shots a game, he makes almost all of his 6 attempts per 36 minutes. In other words, he has a soft touch, and doesn’t look confused when the ball lands in his hands. So teammates can feel confident throwing him a pass of the pick-and-roll. Just like setting picks, Zeller is better-than-average at boxing out, which allows him to be a solid rebounder. All-in-all, Zeller is a custodian type player; he does a lot of the dirty work without giving any glaring deficiencies while he’s on the court.

If Zeller were to replace Olynyk, the lineup would lose some spacing. Olynyk offers outside range and some overall playmaking off the dribble. Losing his offensive weaponry would be a serious problem. It might not seem to be such a big deal when you consider Sullinger would still be offering his range. But a closer look at Sullinger’s accuracy reveals the shocking realization that he’s only shooting about 10% behind the line this season. This is scary, especially when juxtaposed with Olynyk’s 50% from three. However, Sullinger is quite good about one foot inside the arch.

Having two shooting big men out, as the starting lineup does now, might be a luxury but wouldn’t it also be a boon to distribute Sullinger or Olynyk’s shooting to the second rotation?

Though Olynyk wins the marksmen category, Sullinger is a much better rebounder, which going to be important against other starting lineups. And if we compare Zeller’s rookie year numbers (when he averaged similar minutes) with Olynyk’s rebounding this year, the two are quite comparable.

Although I think Brad Stevens likes Olynyk too much to take him out of the starting lineup, if Zeller were to make a foray off the bench, Olynyk might make the most sense. Rebounding numbers won’t descend, and Olynyk’s scoring and playmaking might just brighten up the bench rotation. Olynyk is also the most replacable in this situation for size reasons. If Sullinger were to come off the bench, it would often leave a scenario of Sullinger and Bass as a problematic tandem, size-wise.

As I stated, there is no clear red flag that has propelled a starter shakeup, but if the Celtics are going to make a run for the lower half of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, the first quarter of the season might be the perfect time to see what some rearrangements can do for the team.

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