can Tyler Zeller be a starting center?

[knuckleballer]

I question the legitimacy of his standing reach of 8'8.5".  That's unusually low for a guy his height and should be noticeable when watching him play, but I don't see it.  His reach looks normal to me.
At 6'11.25" barefoot, he is on the tall side for a center.

I think is valid. If you look at his shoulders, it goes downwards from neck to arms.  It makes his wingspan look longer than it is.  But when he raises his arms, not sure if its his traps/neck , it doesn't look long enough for a C.  Like some ppl said, he might have a long neck that makes him 7ft tall.   

The ok part about this is that he has a 34 inch vertical leap and a normal max reach . Joahkim Noah only has like a 8'10 reach , similar profile as Zeller but with added 15-20 pounds since being drafted, has been able to hold his own

I think I may be the one you are referring to about the comment on his neck, but I was just kidding.
I hope he does beef up like Noah, supposedly he has been hitting the weights this offseason.

[NorthernLightning]

I think Rondo and Coach Stevens are going to make Zeller significantly better than you think.

Zeller has great hands, a good iq, and great mobility for a center. Rondo is going to get Zeller lots of easy looks, like he did with KG.

And Stevens and Zeller are both from Indiana, and I believe Stevens recruited him out of high school. Stevens is creative enough to help Zeller succeed to his potential.

I think he'll be our starting center from day one, and I think we'll start out the season with a winning record, like last season.

[hwangjini_1]

He can start. The real question is whether he is a good starter on anything but a lottery bound team.

I am too lazy to look it up, but how does zeller stack up consistently (not one YouTube highlight game) against the best centers in the nba?

To be a good starting center on a playoff team zeller's performance will need to be strong against the better centers in the league.

I leave that research task to those here with more time and energy and resources. Sorry to ask and bail.

[nickagneta]

The kid has average to slightly below average rebounding ability for his size. He doesn't have a low post game nor is he a stretch 5. He also tries a lot on defense but accomplished very little. He will make a decent back up center for someone in a contending position in a couple years but if he is your starting center, unless you have Lebron, Bosh and Wade as three of the other four players, then your team is probably going to be rather bad.

As of right now, I think Sullinger is still a better option at center as a complete player than Zeller is. And I don't think Sully should be playing center.

It was a great deal by Danny Ainge but he didn't just pick up Robert Parish here ala Red Auerbach, he picked up a decent back up is all

[hwangjini_1]

The kid has average to slightly below average rebounding ability for his size. He doesn't have a low post game nor is he a stretch 5. He also tries a lot on defense but accomplished very little. He will make a decent back up center for someone in a contending position in a couple years but if he is your starting center, unless you have Lebron, Bosh and Wade as three of the other four players, then your team is probably going to be rather bad.

As of right now, I think Sullinger is still a better option at center as a complete player than Zeller is. And I don't think Sully should be playing center.

It was a great deal by Danny Ainge but he didn't just pick up Robert Parish here ala Red Auerbach, he picked up a decent back up is all

Good post nick. I think zeller has a pretty good offensive game, but the limitations you list above are important.

On a good team, I see him as a strong rotation/bench player.

[knuckleballer]

The kid has average to slightly below average rebounding ability for his size. He doesn't have a low post game nor is he a stretch 5. He also tries a lot on defense but accomplished very little. He will make a decent back up center for someone in a contending position in a couple years but if he is your starting center, unless you have Lebron, Bosh and Wade as three of the other four players, then your team is probably going to be rather bad.

As of right now, I think Sullinger is still a better option at center as a complete player than Zeller is. And I don't think Sully should be playing center.

It was a great deal by Danny Ainge but he didn't just pick up Robert Parish here ala Red Auerbach, he picked up a decent back up is all

I agree with everything you said.  I'm just glad that we have a legitimate center.  Sully and KO need to play more at the 4 to further their development.  If Zeller only turns out to be a good backup, Danny made a great trade.

[Celtics4ever]

Not a good one until he beefs up some more.   He is a good at running but struggles against strong guys.

He doesn't have a low post game nor is he a stretch 5

  I think his jumphook will surprise some.

[Tr1boy]

The kid has average to slightly below average rebounding ability for his size. He doesn't have a low post game nor is he a stretch 5. He also tries a lot on defense but accomplished very little. He will make a decent back up center for someone in a contending position in a couple years but if he is your starting center, unless you have Lebron, Bosh and Wade as three of the other four players, then your team is probably going to be rather bad.

As of right now, I think Sullinger is still a better option at center as a complete player than Zeller is. And I don't think Sully should be playing center.

It was a great deal by Danny Ainge but he didn't just pick up Robert Parish here ala Red Auerbach, he picked up a decent back up is all

He was considered a good rebounder in college . The 10 pounds of muscle could make a diff. I think zeller and sully could make a good tandem upfront . It will be an interestimg season

[Smitty77]

The kid has average to slightly below average rebounding ability for his size. He doesn't have a low post game nor is he a stretch 5. He also tries a lot on defense but accomplished very little. He will make a decent back up center for someone in a contending position in a couple years but if he is your starting center, unless you have Lebron, Bosh and Wade as three of the other four players, then your team is probably going to be rather bad.

As of right now, I think Sullinger is still a better option at center as a complete player than Zeller is. And I don't think Sully should be playing center.

It was a great deal by Danny Ainge but he didn't just pick up Robert Parish here ala Red Auerbach, he picked up a decent back up is all

Doesn't have a low post game??  Did you see him play at UNC???  I am a diehard NC State fan and therefore I distinctly and clearly remember his solid moves on the post at Carolina, much to my chagrin!!

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Tyler-Zeller-5154/

To further back up my memory as correct, he rated an 8 out of 10 on post moves!!!

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/tyler-zeller

Smitty77

[vjcsmoke]

Good post!  Some people on this board just like posting to put up negative stuff.

As for what Zeller can turn out to be, it's way too soon to project it until we've seen him play some games in a Celtics uniform.  A lot of people forget that he's only 24 and was drafted only 2 years ago.

Zeller still has plenty of room to grow as a player both physically and mentally.  And he was stuck behind 2 veteran players so did not get quite the development time of a guy you'd like to see step into a starting role.

On the Celtics he gets a starting role by default just because of how bad our other options are - Vitor and Iverson, are you kidding me?

And Zeller is definitely not a stiff.  He looks fluid running the floor, he attacks the basket when given the opportunity.  I think what he really needs is time and reps so he can reach his ceiling, whatever that may be.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB8wMWQobL4[/youtube]

Doesn't have a low post game??  Did you see him play at UNC???  I am a diehard NC State fan and therefore I distinctly and clearly remember his solid moves on the post at Carolina, much to my chagrin!!

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Tyler-Zeller-5154/

To further back up my memory as correct, he rated an 8 out of 10 on post moves!!!

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/tyler-zeller

Smitty77

[boscel33]

Not a good one until he beefs up some more.   He is a good at running but struggles against strong guys.

He doesn't have a low post game nor is he a stretch 5

  I think his jumphook will surprise some.

If Asik can be, then why not.  Tyler is listed two pounds lighter than Omar.

[Tr1boy]

Good post!  Some people on this board just like posting to put up negative stuff.

As for what Zeller can turn out to be, it's way too soon to project it until we've seen him play some games in a Celtics uniform.  A lot of people forget that he's only 24 and was drafted only 2 years ago.

Zeller still has plenty of room to grow as a player both physically and mentally.  And he was stuck behind 2 veteran players so did not get quite the development time of a guy you'd like to see step into a starting role.

On the Celtics he gets a starting role by default just because of how bad our other options are - Vitor and Iverson, are you kidding me?

And Zeller is definitely not a stiff.  He looks fluid running the floor, he attacks the basket when given the opportunity.  I think what he really needs is time and reps so he can reach his ceiling, whatever that may be.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB8wMWQobL4[/youtube]

Doesn't have a low post game??  Did you see him play at UNC???  I am a diehard NC State fan and therefore I distinctly and clearly remember his solid moves on the post at Carolina, much to my chagrin!!

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Tyler-Zeller-5154/

To further back up my memory as correct, he rated an 8 out of 10 on post moves!!!

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/tyler-zeller

Smitty77

He played 4 years in college.   He is pretty much done developing.  He already has good footwork, knows what to do out there (though gets pushed around) and has a near auto 15-17 ft jump shot.  Good in transition. 

The only thing left is for him to put on 10-15 pounds and gain more experience (how to work the refs).

The question is , if he can add 10-15 pound of muscle can he be a legit starting center in the nba?? 

[Chris22]

The Cavs were a +4 with Zeller on the floor.
He might be better than we think.

[Celtics4ever]

If Asik can be, then why not.  Tyler is listed two pounds lighter than Omar.

Two guys might weigh the same but some are stronger than others.   

[danglertx]

I've been beating this drum since summer league two years ago... or was it last year?  Hassan Whiteside.  I think he is playing for Sactown this summer league in Vegas.  Check that Toronto.  His first game he played 17 minutes, had 11 rebounds and two blocks.  The guy falls out of bed blocking shots.

Sure he smokes the wacky weed, but he has remained eligible for a couple years now, maybe he figured something out, like to stop smoking weed.