Should The Celtics Retain Tyler Zeller?

What should the Celtics do with Tyler Zeller?

In two seasons with the Boston Celtics, Tyler Zeller perhaps endured more ups and downs than anyone else who graced the parquet floor under head coach Brad Stevens.

The seven-footer underwent polar opposites in playing time and production from 2014-15 to 2015-16 with measurable disparities in both performance and content with his role on the Celtics, make it an interesting conundrum whether he will return to Boston as a restricted free agent this summer.

After playing in all 82 games in his first season with the Celtics, while starting in 59 outings, Zeller witnessed his favorability in Stevens’ system drop intensely the following season. He started the first three games of the year only to never see the starting lineup again in his final 57 appearances with the team.

His minutes plummeted from 21.1 to just 11.8 per game in 2015-16, while his points per game fell from 10.3 to 6.1, his rebounds per game dropped from 5.7 to 3.0, his shooting percentage decreased from 55 percent to just 48 percent, and his rebound rate suffered a fall from 14.7 to 13.1.

While much of Zeller’s struggles to find playing time could be attributed to the acquisition of center Amir Johnson in the summer of 2015 and the health of Jared Sullinger, his lack of a position in the rotation throughout the year could underline his inability to fit within the system of Stevens.

As the Celtics adopted the personality of a team focused on generating buckets through an uptempo style of play, unable to keep pace with the likes of fellow seven-footer Kelly Olynyk in terms of running the floor offensively while seeing his shooting numbers from outside the paint tumble as well.

The North Carolina product saw his midrange efficiency fall from 48 percent in 2014-15 to just 35 percent in 2015-16, ruling out the possibility of him spreading the floor on offense for penetrators such as Isaiah Thomas and Evan Turner.

However, despite his struggles from the field in 2015-16, Zeller could still hold value for the Celtics moving forward, especially if Sullinger leaves in free agency and the team either moves on from Johnson’s team option or ships him out of town in a draft night trade.

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While Boston could replace the need for Zeller’s production with their plethora of draft picks, potentially targeting a big man such as Deyonta Davis of Michigan State, the four-year veteran could be a viable option as a reserve center for the team due to his familiarity with Stevens and the organization.

Zeller provided us with a flashback on April 8, dropping a career-high 26 points on 9-15 shooting in 25 minutes in a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. He showcased his offensive game is still capable of fitting into the Celtics fast-paced system while swatting four Milwaukee shot attempts to display his rim-protecting prowess.

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Furthermore, Zeller could be an enticing option salary cap-wise for the Celtics. If he chooses to accept his $3.7 million qualifying offer from the team once free agency commences, general manager Danny Ainge will have himself a bargain in the former Cleveland Cavalier before the cap explodes to new heights come next summer.

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