Tyler Zeller: least disappointing Zeller brother? Let’s do a rundown.
Cody Zeller has shown no ability to score outside the paint despite his new and improved jumper being one of his selling points in the draft. High basketball IQ? People only say that because he’s white. Anthony Bennett has deflected lots of the negative attention that Cody would otherwise be receiving. The 4th overall pick needs to show more.
Luke Zeller played in the NBA. I have to think he got in because he was confused for one of his more talented brothers. That’s the only logical explanation, because he sucked. Not really a disappointment, because the bar was so low, but still. He sucked.
Tyler Zeller was the 17th pick last year and has played about as well as you would expect, or maybe even a little better. His minutes are down this year because the Cavaliers, in their desperate playoff push, have acquired crappy vets to man the center position. Luminaries like Andrew Bynum and Specer Hawes. Zeller may not be better than those dudes, but he’s younger and has “upside”. He doesn’t play outside his means, which is a valuable trait for a young player.
There you have it: Tyler Zeller is by all objective measures the superior Zeller brother. Kind of like winning a beauty pageant in Slovakia, but wins are wins. He ain’t doing much of that in Cleveland.