| Tyler Zeller |
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| All Tweets | DraftExpress: DX: Top NBA Prospects in the ACC (#1-5) http://t.co/4D9Dh5fJ - Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Tyler Zeller, Mason Plumlee, Kendall Marshall
2011-09-16 10:30:26 | DraftExpress: North Carolina announced that John Henson and Tyler Zeller will be returning next year: http://bit.ly/dTTXqj
2011-04-06 05:29:44 | DraftExpress: Tyler Zeller's not going to win many fans amongst NBA scouts letting Matthew Bryan Amaning push him around like that inside the paint
2011-03-20 01:29:46 | DraftExpress: DX Trending Prospects: Updated scouting reports on Tyler Zeller, D.J. Kennedy, Greg Smith, Aaric Murray http://bit.ly/hVON3z
2011-02-17 02:48:12 | DraftExpress: Tyler Zeller is a great offensive player, but he's got a long ways to go defensively still. Just got roasted a few times by Terrence Jones.
2010-12-04 01:34:57 | | Top 25s - Full List |
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| Trending Prospects (2/10/2011)
February 10, 2011
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Walker Beeken
Following two injury-plagued seasons, Tyler Zeller has emerged as the leading scorer on a talented North Carolina team as a junior. Although he may not possess the upside of teammates John Henson and Harrison Barnes, his solid play has caught the attention of the many NBA scouts watching the Tar Heels this season.
Starting at the center position, Zeller is extremely mobile for a player his size, which fits perfectly into North Carolina's up tempo system. And while his team has had some struggles this season, Zeller has probably been their most consistent performer, highlighted by his 27 point, 11 rebound effort in a win against Kentucky, and a 24 point, 13 rebound effort against Duke this week.
As we've mentioned before, Zeller has the physical tools to stand out at the college level, as there aren't many players with his combination of size, mobility, and skill level. While not a top-shelf athlete, he runs the floor well and is able to elevate to finish and compete on the glass. His lack of physical strength is still his biggest weakness from a physical standpoint and area where he should really focus. It's hard to imagine him playing center in the NBA with his frame right now, but if he's able to add some strength, that may be where his game is best suited.
Just over 42% of Zeller's offensive possessions this season have come of the post up variety, and while he's shown that he's capable of scoring in the block, he still lacks some polish. His go-to move is his jump hook turning to his left shoulder from either block, which he executes effectively for the most part, but he sometimes forces the issue and shoots it from too far away or without reading the defense. He has managed to cut back on his turnover rate this season and get to the free throw line more often, which are both encouraging signs, but with his skill level and touch around the basket, he should be more efficient on the block than the .92 points per possession he's scoring this season on post up opportunities.
Zeller hasn't shown a whole lot in terms of his ability to shoot the basketball, as he's attempted less than one jump shot per game so far this season. Much of this can likely be attributed to him knowing his role and focusing on his strengths in the basket area though, as he seems to be a better shooter than what he's shown so far at North Carolina. He has a quick release and high release point and seems comfortable shooting the ball out to about 18 feet or so, and the fact that he shoots a solid 76% from the free throw line further demonstrates his potential in this area. When projecting him to the NBA, Zeller will likely need to spend more time facing the basket, whether it's off the pick-and-pop or just spacing the floor for dribble penetration.
The biggest issue with Zeller's NBA prospects is figuring out who he'll be able to defend. He does appear to be a guy who will put a solid effort in, but he gets muscled around at the college level, and his underdeveloped body would show up even more in the NBA. His lack of lateral quickness also hurts him covering the perimeter, making him vulnerable to quicker big men facing him up. Furthermore, he doesn't appear to be the toughest guy around, something that shows up in particular on the defensive glass, where he ranks just 38th of the 43 collegiate centers in our database when adjusting for minutes and pace.
Overall, there are quite a few positives for Zeller and draft stock. With teams always searching for quality big men, he is a very intriguing prospect with his combination of size, mobility, and emerging skill set that shows room for growth. He's shown this season that he's an effective scorer who seems to know his limitations and can fit into a team concept, and if scouts believe he's capable of improving his body, adding polish to his post game, and continuing to develop a reliable mid-range jump shot, he'll be a player who NBA teams will likely consider in the first round of the draft, whether it be in 2011 or 2012.
 [Read Full Article]
Top NBA Draft Prospects in the ACC, Part Two (#6-10)
October 19, 2010
Matthew Kamalsky
Spending parts of his first two seasons of eligibility struggling with injuries, Tyler Zeller returns to school poised for a breakout season after spending part of his summer with the USA Select Team. With Ed Davis, Deon Thompson, and the Wear twins out of the picture, Zeller is going to see big minutes as North Carolina's starting center next to their stable of highly touted freshman. While Harrison Barnes will make the headlines for Roy Williams' Tar Heels, Zeller will be a key to UNC's success and is in perfect position to boost his draft stock.
Zeller has a number of interesting physical tools that once made him a highly touted recruit and play a key role in his NBA potential. First, he possesses tremendous size for a power forward, and standing almost 7-feet tall, has the height to play the center position. Showing excellent mobility, and great foot-speed in transition, Zeller is more rangy than explosive, but proves to be a fine leaper when he can gather himself. His biggest weakness at the moment is his lack of great physical strength, which tempers enthusiasm about his ability to be an effective one-on-one defender in the post at the next level. He's added some weight in the last few years, and shows good potential in other areas defensively, but still needs to continue improving his frame.
Zeller's offensive repertoire revolves around his ability to score with his back to the basket and finish the opportunities his teammates created for him at the rim. After scoring most of his points off of simple catch and finish chances as a freshman, Zeller saw nearly 40% of his offensive possessions in the post according to Synergy Sports Technology. His overall usage should grow considerably next season, and if he can maintain his efficiency, he could have a tremendously productive year as the Tar Heel's top interior threat.
Though Zeller has missed significant amounts of his first two seasons and didn't see extensive playing time in either, he is already an efficient interior scorer on the college level. He's able to play above the rim, displays extremely soft touch, and is quick enough off his feet to capitalize on the dump passes and quick post entries delivered from UNC's guards. His sheer length makes him an effective finisher when he can get position, and he does a nice job sitting in gaps and being in the right place at the right time when his teammates attack the rim.
When operating with his back to the basket, Zeller has made some progress, showing the same soft touch he does as a finisher, and flashing some nice counter-moves from time-to-time, but he still struggles to deal with contact and doesn't elevate or finish well in a crowd. He also lacks a reliable and polished turnaround jump shot, and while he flashes some jump shooting ability from the perimeter, he has a long shooting motion that hasn't helped him make an impact from the midrange consistently. His footwork seemed to improve late last season, he's able to score with both hands, and he shows a nice feel for taking what defenders give him down low, but Zeller still needs to refine his repertoire of hooks and drop steps to become more efficient. His ability to add weight will play a key role in his development as a post scorer, as defenders are still able to move him away from the paint as he attempts to establish position.
Defensively, Zeller uses his length well to contest shots and shows good foot speed stepping out to hedge the pick and roll and recovering to the paint. However, his lack of physical strength remains a concern and the more progress he makes improving his frame should also carry over to his rebounding ability. He proves capable of rebounding his area and does a fine job boxing out, but could make better use of his size if he had more weight to throw around.
Looking back at Zeller's first two years at UNC, his game matured considerably despite the fact that he wasn't playing all that much. If his skill-level takes a comparable leap this season, he could have a great year. Considering that the Tar Heels lack depth in the pivot and pretty young across the board, the pressure will be on Zeller to step up and show that he can be a high level contributor and a leader. A hard worker with great intangibles, Zeller should figure prominently into UNC's attempt to bounce back from last season. As this will be Zeller's first opportunity to showcase his talents in significant minutes, we'll undoubtedly be revisiting his progress in the near future.
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