(Brian Spurlock/USA Today Sports)
When Victor Oladipo made the decision to enter the 2013 NBA Draft, it seemed like only a matter of time before Cody Zeller went ahead and did the same. Now, it looks like the Indiana Hoosiers will be without two of their stars from last season next year now that Zeller has made it official as well, but it’s safe to say the forward should have returned for at least one more year before making the jump to the NBA.
It’s understandable that Zeller would want to leave school early considering how high his draft stock is and the last thing he wants to see happen is have it go down by returning for his junior season if he happened to struggle. However, when looking at Zeller’s final two games in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, the argument can be made that Zeller may not be as ready for the NBA after all.
Zeller finished the 2012-13 season by averaging 16.5 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game, but his field goal percentage in the team’s final two games against Temple and Syracuse (combined 7 of 21 from the field) was a small part of how much he truly struggled against some impressive defenses–especially against the Orange. No matter how hard he tried, Zeller just couldn’t seem to get anything consistent going from the field against these two teams and if he thinks the NBA is going to be any easier–Zeller could be in for a rude awakening.
In other words, Zeller should have spent at least one more year at Indiana to give him another year of experience and develop his game more so he doesn’t turn out to be a complete bust at the NBA level.
“Like” Dan Parzych on Facebook
Be sure to follow Dan on Twitter @DanParzych
