Barbeque Chicken: The Cody Zeller Thread - Pt 2

Post #41 » by **yosemiteben** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 6:56 pm

Random stats:

Post all-star break Cody's ortg is up to 113 from 90, while his drtg is pretty much the same.

Since the all-star break, Cody is 45/95 from the field, which is 47.3%. Improvement, but still not great. He's had a few rough games - he was a total of 3-18 from the field in our games against Portland, Atlanta and Memphis.

In March, Cody is 52.3% from the field at 7.0 ppg and grabbing 5.3 rpg.

Cody's FT% has hovered around 75% all season.

While Cody gets blocked a lot, he actually does a decent job of holding on to the ball; he's only averaging 1 topg on the season.

amcoolio · Post #42 » by **amcoolio** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 8:12 pm

He needs to shoot 1000's of jumpers a day in the offseason. Once/If he hits those Chris Bosh style then he will be a starter.

Post #43 » by **fatlever** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 8:23 pm

amcoolio wrote:He needs to shoot 1000's of jumpers a day in the offseason. Once/If he hits those Chris Bosh style then he will be a starter.

true. the jumper is the skill that will ultimately determine whether or not he is a quality starter or a bench energy guy. with a half-decent mid-range jumper his face up game becomes extremely tough to guard.

tondi123 · Post #44 » by **tondi123** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:14 pm

I agree. He aleady gets by his defender at will, even though nobody is getting up on him to defend his jump shot. Should he ever become just an average shooter his offensive game will really open up. He also needs to develop a pull up jumper so that when he gets by his man his only option isn't to drive all the way to the rim. If he can master both of those he could be something special offensively.

mrknowitall215 · Post #45 » by **mrknowitall215** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:17 pm

If Cody Zeller ever develop a consistent jump shot with range, he could become David Lee with defense. However, I don't know if he'll ever develop the touch that Lee has around the rim, but with his athleticism at 7-foot a lot could open up

HornetJail · Post #46 » by **HornetJail** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 12:01 am

mrknowitall215 wrote:If Cody Zeller ever develop a consistent jump shot with range, he could become David Lee with defense. However, I don't know if he'll ever develop the touch that Lee has around the rim, but with his athleticism at 7-foot a lot could open up

He's a lot more athletic too. I used that David Lee comparison a lot earlier, but Zeller is looking more like a two-way hustle guy. I don't think his offense is going to reach Lee levels, but defensively, he's actually better than expected.

KembaWalker · Post #47 » by **KembaWalker** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 12:20 am

I want to see the workout tapes where he was allegedly a knock down 3pt shooter from NBA range who was just playing around the basket because his team needed him to.

Liver_Pooty · Post #48 » by **Liver_Pooty** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:14 am

KembaWalker wrote:I want to see the workout tapes where he was allegedly a knock down 3pt shooter from NBA range who was just playing around the basket because his team needed him to.

Shot the ball pretty well in this workout.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abPOpSJ0ovQ[/youtube]

MasterIchiro · Post #49 » by **MasterIchiro** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 1:27 am

tondi123 wrote:I agree. He aleady gets by his defender at will, even though nobody is getting up on him to defend his jump shot. Should he ever become just an average shooter his offensive game will really open up. He also needs to develop a pull up jumper so that when he gets by his man his only option isn't to drive all the way to the rim. If he can master both of those he could be something special offensively.

I totally agree with this but he also needs to bulk up which thankfully does not require skill just hard work and a smartly planned nutrition and fitness regimen. If he can bang around in the paint for garbage points and combine that with the skills you mention above he can definitely be a solid starter on a legit playoff team.

Eoghan · Post #50 » by **Eoghan** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 5:14 am

He doesn't need to bulk up that much, just some lower body and balance improvements. What he needs is to find an average jumpshot. Honestly, his form has a major weakness which is killing his consistency.

At least he's abandoned trying to shoot for the most part and finding other ways to contribute. Under the radar but he's making way less boneheaded defensive mistakes now.

Post #51 » by **Diop** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:59 am

I think a lot of it is probably mental/confidence.

He is hardly missing in that tryout, but if you don't shoot with confidence or 2nd guess yourself you really hurt your chances of sinking the shot.

that's what I'm hoping for anyway.

catch20two · Post #52 » by **catch20two** » Tue Apr 1, 2014 1:41 pm

I like this Zeller, the one that doesn't camp around the top of the key and take long 2s. I can buy into this Zeller and this was the NBA ready player that I was expecting once I settled into the fact that we needed frontcourt help when we drafted him. Zeller runs like a deer and most big men in the NBA are lazy and don't like to run. Cho might have had it all wrong about Zeller being a stretch 4 but he didn't have it wrong that he has athleticism for a big that could make him a force in the NBA.

BeesWax · Post #53 » by **BeesWax** » Tue Apr 1, 2014 1:55 pm

I think the problem will be if he tries this against starters. Last night he did well but it was against Harrington and Gooden for the most part. Neither of those guys played much D in their primes. He is a hustle bench big and unless he learns to shoot that will be his limits. I hope he gets it together and performs because it seems like BRD will play him either way.

MasterIchiro · Post #54 » by **MasterIchiro** » Tue Apr 1, 2014 2:12 pm

I'm comfortable with him starting next year. He doesn't have to be a good starter but he's a quick study and I believe he will continue to improve. His learning curve is off the charts. Plus I think early in the year he was mentally fatigued and physically run down. This first year should help to condition him for a full season and now that he has confidence and more poise out there he can channel his strengths as an athletic big who can put the ball on the floor, shake a defender off the dribble and score in transition. He's also growing as a rebounder. I just think as a 7 ft PF he fits perfectly next to Al Jefferson. I think McRoberts should be signed as a backup for backup money because he knows the system. But I think having Cody Zeller saves us some money, leaving only SG and SF as the positions where cap space should be budgeted.

mrknowitall215 · Post #55 » by **mrknowitall215** » Tue Apr 1, 2014 2:38 pm

Going into next season I doubt that Cody Zeller will be a lesser option at starting PF than Josh McRoberts, when in fact, he's actually a better option right now, but I can understand why Clifford would want to keep continuity. Zeller's ability to rebound and play sound defense compared to McRoberts has had him knocking at the thought of him overtaking the starting job all season. I still would look into upgrading the PF position (with a player like Ed Davis) if McRoberts decides to opt out though

mrknowitall215 · Post #56 » by **mrknowitall215** » Tue Apr 1, 2014 5:26 pm

...funny pic I found at ROF...

Post #57 » by **fatlever** » Tue Apr 1, 2014 5:39 pm

btw, uncles steve and dell have been using the CZ Top nickname the past two broadcasts. well done BD.

Post #58 » by **fatlever** » Tue Apr 1, 2014 5:40 pm

mrknowitall215 wrote:

...funny pic I found at ROF...

GODZELLER?

Post #59 » by **fatlever** » Tue Apr 1, 2014 5:41 pm

also, someone needs to photoshop a picture of zeller with a long beard playing guitar surrounded by hot ladies and the zz top car.

maybe a parody song "he's got legs" :lol:

mrknowitall215 · Post #60 » by **mrknowitall215** » Tue Apr 1, 2014 5:45 pm

Cody Zeller's new nickname from me is 'GodZeller'. The fans over at ROF have already started using it, and I think it fit as long as he continue to impose his will at the rim by dunking, grabbing rebounds, and all out hustle