Ht/Wt: 7-0 / 250 lbs
Position: C
Team: North Carolina
Class: Senior

2012 Draft Profile - Tyler Zeller

Tyler Zeller is going to come into the NBA after a successful 4yr career at UNC which followed an even more successful high school career in basketball country Indiana. At 7ft 250lbs you don’t find many prospects with his size that have the passion and feel for for the game that Tyler has. He has been an admirable replacement of the legendary namesake that he replaced Tyler Hansborough. Like Hansbourough, Tyler competes hard at both ends of the court, but is slightly more adept on offense. He has a nice set of hands and is strong around the hoop as a rebounder and scorer on put backs. He competes hard, he is good at getting position and has a nice touch, if he is taken further away from the hoop he has moves to still get a good look or pass to a teammate. He also has a decent touch from medium range and is a good FT shooter for his position and has stayed consistent from the line for 4yrs which can be a struggle for big men. He carries his weight well, he is not at all awkward and he doesn’t try to do too much. Zeller is relentless on both ends, although he doesn’t have huge rebounding and blocks numbers he is a formidable presence who doesn’t shy away from doing the dirty work. Tyler is a great teammate who works hard and cares most about the “W”.

Negatives start with a nasty arm injury his freshman year that wiped out most of the season. For an NBA center Zeller’s strength and athleticism may only be average. He has had to work hard to get his weight from about 225lbs to 250 and that even looks like a stretch. Even though 7ft 250lbs sounds ideal for center size he may be really 6ft11 240. I don’t questions Tyler’s toughness but I do question his durability and how much he will really be able to contribute vs the starting centers in the NBA. Dwight Howard, Nene, Lopez, Gasol are so much more explosive than Zeller is used to playing against. He is a good man defender down low but, he might be pushed to PF some because he doesn’t defend the cup that well on help defense.

I really like Zeller as a NBA prospect and will be intrigued by how good of a run UNC can have come tourney time and think their success will greatly affect his draft stock. It is good to see a 7ft guy that is willing to stay down low and that has a genuine passion and love for basketball. If you could put Zeller’s head and heart with Spencer Hawes’ skill set you would have an all star player but that is another story. I hope that Zeller can stay diligent with training and conditioning his body, as he will need to if he wants to have a healthy career, I believe he will because of the attitude he shows in college. I will compare him to UNC alum Brendan Heywood, Zeller has a little more offense and a little less defense but I think overall he can be a valuable piece for any team as a big who competes hard on both ends and is a good teammate.
Player profile submitted by: Tom Patterson

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Tyler Zeller Videos

Tyler Zeller-Potential


2010-2011 Tyler Zeller Highlights


Kendall Marshall To Tyler Zeller For The Shot Off The Glass At The Buzzer - UNC beats Miami, 61-59


Freshman Tyler Zeller Throws Down


Tyler Zeller's Slam Against Penn!





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