What to expect from newly resigned center, Tyler Zeller
The Boston Celtics let one fringe player in Jared Sullinger walk, but they decided to hang on to another fringe front court player in Tyler Zeller. After last season, it comes as a surprise to see him returning to the Celtics but expecting any kind of significant role in the NBA this season would be far too optimistic.
Zeller is coming off of a disastrous season on every level. He was expected to be a breakout candidate but regressed in every way. He lost an edge he had on the offensive end, and he continued to be a liability on defense, against even the weakest of competition. Based on last season, Zeller has no business being a part of the Celtics’ rotation.
That being said, he is young enough that the Celtitcs believe he deserves another chance. Before the worst season of his short career last year, Zeller was one of the more promising players in the Celtics’ front court. The hope was that physical development would allow him to hold his own on the defensive end and a deadly mid range shot allowed him to have an offensive impact earlier than expected.
If Zeller can get back to shooting 60% in the mid range game, then Stevens will have no choice other than to give him opportunities. The Celtics need reliable shooting and just two seasons ago, Zeller was arguably the most reliable mid range shooter on the team.
Unforunately, if all he does is return to where he was two seasons ago, that will no longer be enough in a revamped front court. Al Horford blows him away in any conceivable category. Kelly Olynyk has much more of an impact with his three point shooting and Amir Johnson is a far superior defender. Throw in tremendous potential with Jordan Mickey and Zeller has a near impossible task of returning to the rotation.
That being said, injuries can be a factor and if none of the younger front court players are able to step up, Zeller can be a serviceable player off the bench if he proves that he has put last season behind him. As bad as Zeller was last season, he did begin to put things together towards the end of the season. He never returned to the impact he had the year before, but started doing some of the things that had earned him that role.
The Celtics already know that Zeller can do a great job of fitting into their offensive system, and he needs to be able to shoot with confidence and shoot effectively. Zeller is not going to be expected to create a shot for himself but he has a certain degree of comfort in finding his spots in a system that uses great ball movement to generate open looks.
Zeller has shown a willingness to run the floor and, even if it is more than a year removed, he has shown the ability to flourish in Stevens’ fast paced style. If anything, Zeller may be too tentative. In addition to the vital importance of unselfish ball movement, the Celtics depend greatly on aggressiveness. Once an opportunity presents itself, the Celtics need someone that will have the confidence to pull the trigger and that may not be the case with Zeller, particularly after the shot his confidence may have taken last year.
Another area where Zeller could bring solid contributions is rebounding. On a team that is embracing small ball, they are short on seven footers and elite rebounders. Zeller may not be an elite rebounder, but he could at least help make up for what was lost with Sullinger. In his first season with the Celtics, when he was one of the main parts of the rotation, Zeller had a solid defensive rebounding percentage of 20.5, and that is just behind Sulliger’s career mark of 22.8.
Right now, Zeller has a lot of work to do if he wants to return to the 21.1 minutes per game he got two seasons ago, and the best way to get back to that is returning to shooting 60% between 10-16 feet from the rim. Even if he lacks the aggressiveness, ability to finish and shoot has emerged as the Celtics’ number one priority, and if he can help in that area, he can be a main feature off the bench.
Without Evan Turner the second unit will be functioning different this season. They will need to find different way to make up for the offense he generated and while Zeller will bring next to no play making, he has proven that he can be a trusted shooter on the team. Zeller could also benefit from better floor spacing. With the addition of Horford, the Celtics will have better front court spacing and that could trickle down to the second unit.
The biggest obstacle may be finding a role that Zeller can flourish in. It is far too unrealistic to expect him to get back to the 20 minutes per game, and without a significant role, he may never return to the form that made him a promising playing two seasons ago. If Zeller never establishes the comfort he had in his first season with the Celtics, then he may respond with the same inconsistent play that kept him glued to the bench last year.
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Right now, very little can be expected from Zeller and until he goes out on the court and proves he has put the disaster that last season was behind him, he can expect to be the very last front court option off the bench.