Wasn't he ranked in the top 3 before deciding to stay in school? Some Mocks have him going 11. What's the deal? Should the Blazers take him if he's available at 10 (and we keep the pick)? Obviously he's much more refined than Leonard. One website says he can play the 4 as well. Is that true?
I think he had a minor injury, and not sure if it was related but they said he was not as explosive this season. Obviously the term "explosive" is a bit relative.
He never passed the eye test for me. I believe I said somewhere, early in the season, that he had all the markings of a career journeyman center. I didn't see much of him last year, so either he regressed or people thought they saw something that wasn't actually there. I'd be fine with him at #10, though.
Tyler zeller did alright and Cody is supposed to be much better, I think Cody would be alright at #10. Would prefer shabazz if he fell though
The main problem was all the hype surrounding him in the first place. He was never an elite prospect, but so many draft websites had him pegged as the 2014's #1 pick, just because Indiana had a great resurgence his freshman year, it was largely attributed to Zeller, and it has also become unusual for projected lottery picks to return for their sophomore seasons. With that said, his play just became shaky. He made a lot of poor decisions in Big 10 play. He's got a decent mid-range game, but the guy who was billed as a "high bball IQ" player would force the issue a lot offensively and try to get to the rim when he had perfectly makeable shots available to him. There were a lot of times this season where I felt like the pressure was getting to him and his lack of confidence in his own game was showing. There were a lot of situations where a player projected in the "top 3" range would have stepped up and taken over, whereas Zeller would fade into the background. He also started to get outclassed physically a lot down the stretch. The big game that will probably remain in most people's minds was the last game of the season, against a Syracuse team that wasn't even that big or aggressive compared to what he faced on a daily basis in the Big 10. Not only did he make some poor decisions in crucial moments, but he was constantly out-muscled on the boards and seemed almost timid and afraid to absorb contact.
His footwork is top shelf but his reach is shockingly short for a 7-footer. I assumed it was in the 9-foot range. For reference: Zeller: 8'9.5" Webster: 8'10"
Pretty much this. Never was worth a top 5 pick at any point. Was always way, way overrated. I believe I said something about it to Fez or someone else around draft time last year and the board got all up in arms over it. I probably did take it a step too far and said I wouldn't trade Nolan Smith or something for him just because I'm known to go a step further, but he never impressed me.
