cody-zeller-hd.jpg

40 - Cody Zeller

7-0, 230 Power Forward/Center
Indiana Sophomore
Birthday
10/05/92 (31.5 yrs)
Hometown
Washington, IN
High School
Washington
Team Site Profile
Statistics
Athleticism
8
Size
8
Defense
7
Strength
7
Quickness
8
Leadership
8
Jump Shot
9
NBA Ready
8
Rebounding
8
Potential
8
Post Skills
8
Intangibles
8

NBA Comparison: LaMarcus Aldridge

Strengths: Bigman with an excellent basketball IQ and all around athlete … A gazelle. Runs the floor extremely well for a 7 footer. He’s also has great body control for a center, showing unusual ability to convert plays on the break … Plays with great energy, a focused and intense competitor … Highly unselfish, team guy and a willing passer with good vision for a big … Puts winning and his team over individual accolades … Fundamentally sound. Great feel for the game. Never seems to be in a rush and very deliberate with his moves … Shows solid ability to face up and knock down mid-range jumpshots … Displays good hands, rarely fumbles the ball … Good rebounder, good technique, anticipation, getting low and boxing out … A solid defender. Uses his size well to blanket opponents. Stays between his man and the basket and doesn’t gamble or bite on fakes easily … Hard working kid, who should only improve over time and become a very solid NBA player … Shows a willingness to battle in the post, and gets to the line at a good rate where he converts 75%, (averaging 5 of 7 per game) … Ceiling may be lower than some, but his basement is higher than most … Upperbody, while still in need of more strength has shown solid improvement in his 2 year Indiana career … Made a solid decision returning to Indiana for sophomore year as he enters the NBA with a better NBA body and overall readiness … In a draft with few sure things, Zeller will be a desirable prospect as a player with little bust potential … Was very successful matching up with Anthony Davis as a freshman. Showed confidence, and played him to a standstill scoring over him using great ball fakes, and helped IU get the upset victory over the eventual National Champions … Durable. Never missed a game in his 2 year career … Post game is solid, using good foot work and providing a solid target for post entry passes. Shows a solid understanding of the basics and just needs to develop more diversity to his moves … Has the size and versatility to play either the 4 or 5 positions … Should be able to come in and contribute immediately, which is more than can be said for most of the draft prospects this year … Doesn’t have any major holes in his game …

Weaknesses:  Not a shot blocker or much of a presence on the defensive end. Can be overwhelmed by stronger and more explosive opponents … While very composed, his moves can be too predictable, leading to blocked shots … Unselfish to a fault. May never be a huge scorer in the league … Seems to be more comfortable in a secondary role. Lacks an alpha male personality. As the team’s most talented player, it was clear that Indiana could have used a superstar, vocal leader, but he deferred to teammate Victor Oladipo, who assumed the role of team’s go to player and inspirational leader. Should look to be more vocal … Lacks great post moves. Surprisingly, his post game did not show the development in his sophomore season that many expected. Still has a lot of work to do to become an effective offensive player on the block … Should look to develop a go to move on the block … Humble to a fault. What makes him a solid player, patience and unselfishness, may also keep him from greatness. He lacks a fiery personality, and appears more comfortable being one of the guys instead of THE guy … Really struggled late in the year, particularly in the tournament. Syracuse’s length and 2-3 zone collapsed on him, and really limited his effectiveness. His athleticism appeared so ordinary, some wondered if he had an injury going on … Did not make the significant jump in productivity in his sophomore year, in fact, his field goal percentage fell of significantly from FR to SO season … Sort of a jack of all trades, master of none type …

Notes: Registered one of the highest verticals in the combine testing with a 35.5 in the standing jump, and a 37.5 in the running jump, showing that he’s an extremely underrated athlete … Was integral in the rebirth of Indiana’s program … To his credit, Cody returned for his sophomore season to work on his game, despite being a lock to be a lottery pick had he entered the draft after his freshman year …

Aran Smith 5/6/13

Strengths: Smart, skilled post player with a nice overall physical profile to play down low at the next level … Good height, standing 6’11" … Very mobile for a center … Like his brother (Tyler Zeller), Cody runs the floor extremely hard and often catches the defense off-guard to score a few easy points … Developing strength with the kind of frame that can support more muscle … Very efficient scorer, (showing more creativity and skill than brother Tyler) in the post … Excellent footwork and agility around the rim … Shows the ability to finish well with either hand … Very active without the ball … Doesn’t just wait in the post for the ball, will fight for better position or set screens to get teammates open … Is a big threat on the offensive glass … High basketball IQ, and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes for a freshman … Has a nice touch on his jump-shot, and is a quality free-throw shooter … A good defender and comes up with a lot of steals …
 
Weaknesses: Has added a lot of strength recently, but will need to add more to be as effective on both ends of the floor in the NBA … Isn’t ever likely to be much of a shot-blocker, due to his average wingspan and vertical explosiveness … Defensive rebounding ability could stand to improve … There are some concerns regarding his toughness and willingness to bang in the post …
 
Overall: Cody is considered to have the most potential out of the three Zeller brothers … His talent alone will put him in first-round conversations, but he could sneak into the lottery depending on how he develops during his career at Indiana …

Tyler Ingle 12/8/11

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