[JNixonParticipant]

 10: Tyler Zeller, 7’0 247, C/PF, UNC, Sr.

After enjoying a nice career for UNC, especially towards the end as he got stronger and avoided the nagging injuries that plagued him his 1^st 2 seasons, Zeller checks in…Was a perfect fit with Kendall Marshall, and really blossomed with him running the show…He was always a talent on offense, even though he was overshadowed by some other UNC bigs earlier in his career as he got tougher, more durable, and stronger…Has 2 other siblings who were/are college players (his brother, Cody is a darkhorse for the top pick in 2013)…2nd Team All-American and ACC Player of the Year as a Sr., 2^nd Team All-ACC as a Jr., 2-Time Academic All-American…High character prospect…Physically, Zeller is about what you want from a C/PF…He is 7’ tall, which is outstanding, and he’s gotten strong and now is almost 250 lbs, which is nice as well…He has a short wingspan for his height, but its not damning…Athletically, Zeller is very nice as well…He has good explosiveness when he gets a running start, and has excellent speed when running in a straight line…He’s not very agile or quick, but he’s also not terrible at either 

On offense, Zeller showed that he can score very well in college…He got alot of points as a post scorer at UNC, and that seems to be a strength…His right hand jump hook is easily his best move, and he’s extremely consistent and effective with it…Very soft touch…Does a good job of shielding shot blockers with that shot by keeping his body in the middle of himself and his man…He sometimes shows flashes of a turnaround jumper too, from 10-12 ft…He doesn’t show much outside of that though, as he doesn’t play strong or tough enough to just use bully moves like dropsteps and doesn’t have the fancy footwork to use a bunch of counters or up and under moves…Sometimes looks robotic when making moves, and almost seems to force some of his jump hooks…Struggles to deal with double teams…He is good at drawing fouls by using pump fakes…The aspect of his game that I think will be more of a factor than it was in college is his face-up jumper…Zeller has shown range out to 20 ft. in the past, but he will need repetition given that he hasn’t played that way much at all…Still, Zeller has a very soft touch and the ability to hit 15 ft shots…I think he will be a big pick and pop threat in time…Given that he had a reputation as a shooter in high school, its not far-fetched to think he will be more of a shooter than post option in the NBA…Another aspect of Zeller’s game that opens eyes is his ability to run the floor…Zeller ran the floor as good, if not, better than any big in college hoops in his last 2 years at UNC…He got a good numbers of baskets this way, and doesn’t make many mistakes when he gets runouts…Shows off his pretty explosive ability to finish with a head of steam in these instances…Will probably be able to outrun a lot of NBA bigs down the floor for easy baskets too…Has real good hands…Able to use both hands around the rim…Could be a threat as both a pick and roll finisher, and a pick and pop shooter, which is quite interesting to say the least…The area that many are concerned about with Zeller is his strength and toughness…He might not play with quite enough of both to be as post reliant as he was in college, in the NBA…Seems to be destined for a career shooting jumpers more than posting up…Lacks the kind of agility you need to get in and out of moves that involve lateral movement…Doesn’t pass the ball much…Pretty good all-around offensive player…Good offensive rebounder…Consistent player on a nightly basis…Makes few mistakes and generally shows a high IQ…Nice at the foul line as an 80% FT shooter, which is impressive for any frontline player…Would probably fit best on a team that plays fast or has a free-flowing offense

Defensively, Zeller is probably just going to be OK…He is a passable shot-blocker, but he really makes hay by just knowing where to be defensively…He’s a smart help defender, and regularly is willing to step up and take charges…His length and strength aren’t special, so he will have some trouble denying easy post entry passes and stopping his man from scoring right around the rim…Was a very decent defensive rebounder as a Sr., but wasn’t known for his defensive rebounding in the past…Tries to defend the pick and roll against guards, even if he can get torched at times

Overall,  Zeller has the prototypical height, run-jump athleticism, and touch of a good C prospect … He also has developing skills offensively as a post and face-up shooter … He could be a good fit in a fast-paced offense … Zeller needs more strength and to play tougher, right now he can be bullied on both ends by physical play in half-court situations..The improvements he made as a Sr. are encouraging, and he did get better every year at UNC

9: Perry Jones, 6’11 234, PF/SF, Baylor, Soph.

The prospect that some people love and some people question…Came to Baylor with a big amount of hype, but also a lot of questions about his mentality and aggression…Never really emerged into the dominate player that his talent level indicated he could be at Baylor, but was still a productive player with plenty of upside…Had some bad stretches this year where he didn’t show up for big games/matchups…Has surprisingly seen him his stock draft a bit since the season ended…Could end up being a true steal for a team…2^nd Team All-Big 12 as a Fr., 3^rd Team as a Soph…Physically, Jones is great…At 6’10 with a near 7’2 wingspan, Jones has prototypical size for a PF and definitely would be oversized if a team where to make him play time at SF…He also has added weight to his frame and now is a very good 234 lbs, and he looks very defined with wide shoulders…Could weight around 240 in time…Athletically, Jones is stellar…Really looks like a guard with his ability to run, has elite level speed and agility for a 6’11 player…Also is a quick player with great explosiveness and leaping ability…Really has everything you look for in a PF with his physical tools

Offensively, its tough to get a grasp on Jones is best at, but he does have good raw talent and potential…Versatile weapon…Really intriguing ability to score some at all 3 levels, but he’s better the closer he is to the rim…Is a great finisher around the hoop, showing great explosiveness to finish amongst the trees, and the touch to make lay-ins through contact…Has really good footwork, and moves around very fluidly with his back to the rim…Really extends himself well around the rim to get his shots off…Is a rangy player who covers a lot of ground when backing down in the post…Usually at a quickness advantage against PF’s…Able to effectively play the mid or high post, where he uses his ability to handle the ball for about 2 dribbles and his quick 1^st step to be a matchup problem for PF’s…Really has no trouble making a quick move for a blow by, then spinning if the defender makes up ground to cut him off, which shows his upside and hints at the intrigue behind him…Is a very good ball-handler for a PF type prospect…Shows the ability to grab a rebound and handle the ball up the court at times…Doesn’t pass that well when he has the ball despite his unselfishness, as he can get too antsy with the ball when he has used up his dribbles…Has the potential to be a big pick and roll threat, as he really opens up for his screens and then rolls with enough athleticism and explosiveness to be an alley-oop threat…Able to make jumpers, but is most consistent from around 18 ft or so…Has range out to 22 ft., but its not consistent and he’s better from mid-range…Sometimes settles for the jumper, and teams definitely wanted him shooting from mid-range more than they wanted him around the rim…In terms of projecting him to the SF spot, he probably will be able to play sometime there, but he easily seems like more of a natural PF…His handle, passing, jump shot range, and overall comfort on the perimeter do not seem to be on par with his ability to play PF and operate closer to the rim…I’d imagine he’d have a tougher time trying to produce against SF’s than PF’s right now, given that his skills might be really good for a PF, but they’d largely be just decent on the wing…I have a hard time seeing him creating shots consistently against NBA wings as of now, and his jump shot range isn’t consistent enough for him to alleviate that…At his best, Jones is a threat to make jump shots from mid-range and 3, finish around the rim with touch or explosiveness, and score using his jump hook with his back to the rim in the low post…At his worst, Jones struggles to find his way to produce on offense for really extended stretches, mostly due to the fact that he has no skill he really can consistently hang his hat on, and he doesn’t play with the motor to just make his presence felt when he doesn’t have plays run for him…Jones’ lack of consistency and aggression is the biggest drawback in his entire profile as a prospect…Too often had games where he was dominant, then had games where he couldn’t even score 10 points…He is arguably the most gifted player in the 2012 class, and his fluctuating production is a HUGE concern and makes him hard to project…He got showed up in some big matchups, like against Thomas Robinson and Kevin Jones of WVU, making many question his hunger for progression…Doesn’t appear to be a contact loving player…Might not have been used the proper way for him to succeed at Baylor (never played with a true PG), but he clearly needs to have a fire lit under him at all times…Mediocre FT shooter, and didn’t get there as much as he should have at Baylor…Just decent offensive rebounding skills…Could be a big transition threat in the NBA with his speed and athleticism, and he runs the floor like a guard already…Has all the physical tools you look for in a PF and is even better if you consider he probably will play some time at SF too

Defensively, Jones is OK but suffers from concentration lapses…He played in a zone D mostly in college, and wasn’t the most aware in that zone…He shows lagging fundamentals despite the athleticism to succeed…Doesn’t always watch his man and the ball, and can be beat on backdoor kinds of scores…Really doesn’t do a good job of boxing out on rebounds, and gives up easy shots at times because of it…Might give a coach headaches on this end, especially early in his career…Isnt a standout rebounder at all, but is alarmingly bad as a shot-blocker and ball theif…Will be interesting to see how he fares against NBA players…He has enough athleticism to defend every position, but his fundamentals and willingness to do so aren’t there…One thing he does do well is hedge picks, and even shows the athleticism and size to smother guards if he’s asked to switch…Right now, is more comfortable against PF’s than SF’s…Still, he can get sealed on post ups by stronger bigs…Does not have the motor to fight back a lot

Overall, Jones is a huge talent…He is a blessed kid man, and he’s got plenty of time to capital on his  upside…He has the skill set to be a versatile and impactful threat as an offensive player…I’d like to see him got tougher and more willing to take charge, because right now his mental is behind his skills…He’s still a bit  of a raw talent, but he has the mentality and ability to capitalize on it…If he drops as far as he’s said to in the mocks, Jones could be a flat out steal for a team.

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

Your draft previews are 1 of the few positives posts from posters…So i’ll like to know who was the Fool that gave u a thumbs Down?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

I know he’s not among your top 60 prospects..But i hear Travis Hyman of D-2 Bowie State is quickly moving up the draft boards…

[Author]

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