Boston Celtics player report card 2016-17: Tyler Zeller
Tyler Zeller’s production dipped once again in 2016-17, giving the Boston Celtics a big decision on him in the coming weeks.
Flash back to the summer of 2015 and Tyler Zeller had the world at his fingertips. The young center was coming off the best season of his career, looking to carry the momentum into his contract year the following season with the Boston Celtics.
Though he took a step backward in 2015-16, the Celtics and Zeller agreed on a two-year, 16-million dollar contract.
Year one did not go as planned.
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In his first season with the Celtics, Zeller played in all 82 games (making 59 starts). He averaged 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 55%.
This season, Zeller only played in 51 games. He still shot 49.4% but only averaged 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Zeller battled an illness right before the new year and was inactive/did not play for 12 straight games. Couple that with head coach Brad Stevens going with smaller lineups, Zeller never really got back into the rotation on a regular basis.
The seven-footer averaged just over ten minutes per game on the season and was basically a non-factor in the playoffs.
A closer look at Zeller’s season
Early on, it looked like Zeller was on track to play to the level he did in ’14-15.
The first eight games saw Zeller score in double figures four times, including a high of 13 against Brooklyn. He also put up 11 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in an early season loss to Cleveland.
He had four starts during this span and averaged 8.5 points per game.
It was around this time Al Horford got healthy, resulting in Zeller’s playing time dwindling. He only reached double-digits in points two more times, the last being a January 27 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Zeller still brings a strong defensive presence to the team. His defensive rating was 104, ranking third best on Celtics.
His contract is non-guaranteed until July 2. The question remains whether he’ll be brought back for the second year of his contract or if Boston let’s him go and perhaps turns to a familiar face to replace him.
Final Grade
I’m going to hand over a C- as Zeller’s final grade.
Initially–when thinking of the promise he showed a few seasons ago versus his performance–the grade was going to be lower.
Battling the illness and a shift to small-ball worked against him, but his start to the season and his defense slightly balanced that out.
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One hopes if Zeller stays with the team, he can be the player he was a few seasons ago. This is a player that can score 8-10 points in a short amount of time if he’s cooking.
As much as I’d like to see him succeed in Boston again, my guess is he won’t be wearing Celtic green come 2017-18.