Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers rookie center Tyler Zeller had a limited impact on the team in his first year in the NBA, but the seven footer displayed enough potential that should make the team feel comfortable going into next season with Zeller as their full time starter in the middle.
Zeller averaged a modest 7.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in his rookie season while playing in 77 games with 55 starts. Although Zeller started the majority of the games he appeared in, he still was restricted to just 26.4 minutes of playing time a contest and only played 30 or minutes 24 times on the year.
The Cavaliers made a move to acquire to Zeller a day after the draft, trading three picks to the Dallas Mavericks for Zeller, mostly due to his polish and size after a solid college career at North Carolina. Zeller showed flashes of what he could do at times, such as scoring a career-high 20 points against the Boston Celtics in December or the 14-rebound effort he secured against the Utah Jazz a month later.
Zeller definitely still has things he will need to improve upon before next season, with his defense and consistency shooting the basketball at the top of the list. Zeller committed 4.4 personal fouls per 36 minutes as a rookie, which is a per minute foul rate that could potentially keep him off the court in key situations. Zeller also only shot .438 from the field, which isn’t bad for a rookie but less than ideal for a NBA center.
If Zeller comes back with improved footwork and touch on his shot, he should be a lock for the Cavaliers starting center spot. Combined with the rest of Cleveland’s young core, Zeller could be a valuable asset for the Cavaliers next season.
