June 29, 2018

Cody Zeller
C - 7’0, 240lbs - 25 years old - 5 years of experience

When he plays, Zeller is good. He runs, he dunks, he boards, and he has some ball skill to go with it. Showing signs of finally ending his career-long inability to hit shots outside of the paint (going 8-21 from between 16 feet and the three-point line, and 2-3 from beyond it, and yes these are small sample sizes), Zeller is active, athletic, wild in a good way, stronger than he used to be, always barrelling his way in, getting to the line, and, this year at least, was a decent rebounder.

That is only however true when he plays. And of late, Zeller has not been playing much. Knee problems have cost him 69 games over the last two seasons, and knee problems are particularly bad news when talking about a player whose main plus-value on the court is his ability to run the thing.

Particularly troubling is what that now means for Zeller and his value overall. With Howard going, Zeller may move into the starting line-up and have a chance to start and rebuild his value, yet with Hernangomez here, he would only be expected to do so as a placeholder. Zeller and Hernangomez figure not to pair well, and as the one who plays merely half the season without the benefits of youth and upside, Zeller is not the desired youngster any longer, either.

This then makes for an awkward reconciliation. Rest assured, though, that whatever the outcome of this situation, Zeller is a better player than it is normally assumed that he is.

Player Plan: Three years and a guaranteed $43,415,730 remaining. His value to the team depends on his health and Hernangomez, both of which are priorities and uncertain as of now. Both should be better known in a year so it seems likely and perhaps correct to keep Zeller until then.

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June 29, 2017

Cody Zeller
PF/C, 7’0, 240lbs, 24 years old, 4 years of experience

Continued a career full off incremental improvements, and has become a very efficient offensive option whose transition game adds a dimension to a team that otherwise struggles in that area. Zeller’s rebounding rate took a big hit and is now distinctly sub-par, and his lack of rim protection contributed to a team-wide inability to stop opponents around the basket. Nonetheless, he has speed and athleticism, and uses it to hus-tle around defensively while being a very effective role man offensively, scoring with great efficiency despite neither posting up nor spotting up. Signed for the next four years at an average of $14 million per, Zeller is a good new-era centre, and a starting calibre player even if Howard’s addition puts him to the bench.

Player Plan: Begins four year, $56 million extension this summer. A somewhat limited play-er who has done an excellent job of playing within what he does well, and who is worthy of that money based on current play. If he keeps improving, even better. But he will not pair well with Howard, will surely have to go to the bench, and thus is the most obvious casualty of the deal.

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