Charlotte Bobcats: Defending The Cody Zeller Pick

Cody Zeller is ready to contribute to the Charlotte Bobcats right away. (Photo Credit/msflaster/flickr.com)

Going into the 2013 NBA draft, it was pretty obvious that the Charlotte Bobcats were going to take a big man. After all, who would want to go forward with another year of Byron Mullens and Bismack Biyombo is the starting bigs. What was surprising, however, was who they decided to pick. With Nerlens Noel and Alex Len both still on the board at No. 4, most experts expected them to take one of those two players. Instead, they pulled one of the more surprising moves of the draft, choosing Indiana’s Cody Zeller instead. It was one of the more stunning picks of the night, right up there with the Cleveland Cavaliers decision to take Anthony Bennett No. 1 overall. But while the Zeller pick wasn’t predictable, it makes a lot more sense than one might initially think.

While Noel and Len are very talented players, both have struggled with injuries in recent months and it’s not certain when either one will be able to return to the court. Noel is expected to miss the beginning of the season, while Len will be out for two to four more months. Clearly, the Bobcats weren’t interested in dealing with these concerns. They wanted a player who they could insert into the lineup immediately. Zeller has a clean bill of health and should be receiving major minutes from opening night on. Could this decision turn out to haunt them if Noel and Len go on to become great players? Absolutely. But in the meantime, you can’t blame the Bobcats for playing it safe and going with the guy who they will be suiting up right away.

It’s also worth considering the ever-changing nature of Zeller’s stock. When the 2012-13 NCAA season began, he was considered by many to be the top player in the country and many mock drafts at the time had him going No. 1 overall. If the Bobcats had known last year that they could get Zeller with fourth pick, they likely would have seen it as a huge win for the franchise. Zeller’s stock dropped a fair amount in his second year, as scouts were less than less blown away by his abilities. Some of that may have had to do with the emergence of his teammate, Victor Oladipo, who was taken No. 2 overall by the Orlando Magic. As the season went on, it became clear that Oladipo was the team’s emotional leader and possibly their best player. This hurt Zeller’s stock considerably, since it’s hard to see a player as a franchise cornerstone when he’s essentially a sidekick on his college team.

But Zeller was still a strong player, even if he was doing most of his work in a supporting role. He’s an excellent athlete, as well as a great natural scorer, and he should be able to help the Bobcats right away. As soon as Zeller arrives in Charlotte, he will likely become the best big man the Bobcats have. Bismack Biyombo has a lot of potential, but he’s still incredibly unpolished. Byron Mullens is a more confident shooter, but his numbers don’t back up that confidence and his alleged skills as a stretch 5 would be more valuable if he actually connected from downtown more often. Zeller is already a more complete player than Mullens or Biymbo and he will bolster the Bobcats frontcourt immediately. Zeller might not have been the most obvious pick for the Bobcats, but he makes a lot of sense. He’s an excellent athlete and unlike Noel or Len, he will definitely be able to help the Bobcats right away.