Twitter: "Cody Zeller Sucks"

The best and worst part of the NCAA Tournament are all the added interested viewers. Twitter is flooded by opinions from both NBA bloggers and college basketball scribes alike - each offering their own perspective. Many times, NBA bloggers will be watching a prospect for the first time and either highly overrated or underrate the player based on one performance while the college guys remain even keel as they've seen both the highs and lows of these guys.

In the case of Cody Zeller last night, it seemed both sides rallied around a similar belief that Cody Zeller is overrated as a NBA prospect. Zeller had 6 of his shots blocks and looked overwhelmed inside by the size and athleticism of Syracuse. This was evident to anyone watching the game and didn't take an expert to come away with this inclusion. And the college writers agreed with this notion not because of this one game, but because this is something that has been evident all year. So for once, both sets of writers had the same opinion. 

This opinion is something that can't really be argued. Watch the film against teams with NBA size like Michigan State, Minnesota, or a physical frontline like Wisconsin's. Zeller has a tendency to go right into the bodies of defenders and has several of his shots blocked. His drives to the basket can become both easy to see coming and easy to predict how the play will end. When Zeller takes it into the body of defenders, a lot of times it seems like he is stuck to the floor - not necessarily because he can't jump - but because his arms are barely long enough to extend from his body. His abnormally short wingspan is a reason why many are skeptical about his ability to succeed at the next level.

The scouting report of Zeller's strengths and weaknesses are fairly simple. It doesnt take much time watching Zeller to realize what he struggles with and what he does well. Thats why last night on Twitter, seemingly everyone I followed repeated the same concerns over Zeller's ability at the next level. But scouting isn't simply about evaluating strengths and weaknesses and determining if the player played well. Anyone who watches any amount of tape on Zeller will come up with a similar scouting report and recognize the situations where he struggled.

There is another piece of the puzzle that both college basketball and NBA writers alike don't see. Scouting is about more than meets the eye, which is usually all writers look at. They'll watch the player and evaluate how he played. Simple enough, but thats something everyone can do and it doesn't separate you from the field in terms of projecting talent to the next level. A scout has to think outside the box, put himself in a players shoes, and picture him in situations different from his current one in order to determine how he will succeed.

In Zeller's current situation, he is the center of a basketball team that has no other inside presence. One of his point guards is a freshman who is learning how to pass and the other guy is a senior who rarely penetrates or makes plays at all. At power forward, there is a stretch forward who struggles against physical play but fares well in his position away from the basket. 

A large problem in Zeller's game is coaching and personnel. Zeller is asked to be the big man for Indiana and play like a center. Zeller constantly takes it to the basket and into defenders' bodies despite the mixed results. There is no questioning Zeller's skillset, but at Indiana it seems he actually plays against his strengths and puts his weaknesses on display.

Paul Flannery wrote a great article this week about Ryan McDonough, the Celtics assistant general manager and the guy who deserves the most credit for them drafting Rajon Rondo (read it here). While Rondo was dogged by both college and NBA bloggers alike for his terrible shooting and trouble in the halfcourt, McDonough saw a guy who was extremely talented but just was being misused. Thats what scouts are supposed to do. They aren't meant to strictly evaluate a guys play - they are asked to think outside the box and figure out why a guy is struggling and if he would be better in another situation. The same thing can be said for Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger - two more guys who had obvious weaknesses, but have succeeded by being put in roles to emphasis their strengths.

Zeller is just another guy that needs to be used the right way. Right now, he's not being put in a situation that makes him look great. And for guys like McDonough, this is where their expertise separate themselves from the pundits who spend their time posting opinions on twitter.

You see, Zeller isn't a center and will never be a center. So when you talk about his short wingspan, his weakness finishing against longer, athletic players, his lack of strength, and his inability to be an intimidating defensive presence at the rim - these are all things that can be negated if he's playing a different position. A position that he is meant for - power forward.

Crean shouldn't get all the blame for misusing Zeller. A lot of it has to do with personnel. But we saw how unprepared Indiana's offense looked against Syracuse's zone - as if they didn't expect it - and we saw how Zeller was used. At some point, Zeller refusing to take jumpers and utilizing more touch around the basket has to fall on his coaching. Zeller has been playing this style all year and all Crean has to do is encourage him to shoot more, have him set more ball screens, and get him out of the low post. Pitino did it with Dieng. Its not a big adjustment. But I guess Crean feels the need to have a presence in the post and at the rim, so thats the role Zeller has been relegated to.

Think about it though. You have a guy that can shoot the ball, has the ability to face up, has good touch at the rim, can pass off the dribble better than just about any big, handles the ball well, runs the court in transition, is excellent coming off ball screens, and is a better athlete in terms of coordination than explosiveness. Nevermind his position in college, that screams NBA power forward and thats just looking at his offensive ability. Throw in his perimeter defense, his ability to rotate and defend pick and rolls, his footwork, and his lack of rim protecting skills and there is absolutely no reason to ever look at him as a center prospect. Instead, he's an ideal power forward prospect. While people saw his inability to finish inside last night, I came away satisfied with how he was able to stick with CJ Fair whenever they were matched up together.

Whether or not this effects Zeller's stock is something I can't tell you, but what I can guarantee is there is a smart GM sitting outside the top 10 that would love for Zeller to fall in their laps. 

Michigan vs Indiana

Quick thoughts after Indiana beat Michigan 81-73 in Assembly Hall


- Cody Zeller looked like an All-American tonight. His defense gets underrated because he isn't necessarily a game changer at the next level, but he is one of the smartest big men in college basketball. I criticize a lot of center prospects for their lack of awareness on defense despite their strong physical attributes but Zeller is the opposite. He does the things that I'd like to see guys like Alex Len and Nerlens Noel do. He defends the pick and roll extremely well, protects the rim with his footwork, and plays good post defense. Zeller was also aggressive in attacking the boards on both ends of the court and finished strong on multiple putback jams.

Zeller's motor was cranked all the way up in this one and made quite a few hustle plays. He is always good at getting out in transition and going after loose balls. Indiana tends to go stretches without getting him the ball, but when he does get it, he did a great job making plays tonight. He is surprisingly quick putting the ball on the court and graceful shooting his version of the leaner. Zeller also has been connecting on his 2-pt jumpshots at a high rate recently. The hype around Zeller as a potential #1 pick has disappeared, but his value is still firmly in the lottery. Tonight's game was one of this best of his career.

- A lot of people suggested that Oladipo would garner the assignment of covering Trey Burke in this one. Oladipo started the game on Hardaway Jr and only ended up on Burke on a few possessions. Indiana was still able to slow down Burke without Oladipo . Ohio State set the blueprint on how to take away Burke's options off screens and Indiana followed suite with their own style. Will Sheehey covered Burke a lot and was able to play off him a bit and force him into jumpshots. Zeller and Watford were also big in stopping the pick and roll game - as mentioned before, Zeller is one of the best in the game at hedging on the perimeter. Burke had very little room to attack the lane and ended up having to take contested jumper after contested jumper. He finished the night shooting 9-24 from the field while half his shots came from behind the arc.

- Oladipo came out of the gate on a mission. For the first ten minutes of the game, he had Dick Vitale ready to compare him to Michael Jordan. Oladipo's athleticism and energy continue to form a magical combination that goes unmatched by anyone in the country. He was stifling on defense. He brought the ball all the way up court with a full head of steam and didn't stop until he was at the rim. Oladipo doesn't have great handles, but he manages to change directions with the ball quickly and has no problem getting by people. It seems like he is always on the verge of turning it over yet he manages to either finish it himself or find an open man out of the corner of his eye. Despite his lack of handles, Oladipo has become a great playmaker with the ball in his hands.

- Glenn Robinson finished with an 0fer tonight while playing every single minute of the game. Dick Vitale mentioned quite a few times that he needed to step up and make plays, but that just isn't his game. Robinson III has relied on Burke to break down the defense for much of the year and his lack of points was a direct result of Burke not getting into the lane. Robinson III is mainly a catch and shoot type player at this point who can also crash the boards once the defense is broken down. His lack of ability to create or step up shouldn't come as a surprise if you've watched him also season. Robinson III is a high efficient scorer, but not a creative one.

- With Jordan Morgan limited with a bad ankle, Mitch McGary was able to see the floor more and made his presence known. He did a great job denying entry passes and coming up with steals. McGary plays with a high motor, can bang in the paint, and looked good running the court in transition. He was one of the better players on the court tonight for Michigan. He continues to get more playing time and his 28 minutes was a season high - and those coming against Indiana should mean something.

- Yogi Ferrell will be one of the best point guards in the country within the next year. He was inefficient in non-conference play because he couldn't get his shots to fall, but has hit 9 long balls in his last 4 games. Ferrell is incredibly quick with great handles and looks very comfortable in pick and roll situations.

Cody Zeller vs Iowa (Video)

Cody Zeller and Indiana traveled to Iowa City for their first conference game of the year against Iowa. Conference play means that no game will be easy - and this game certainly was not for the Hoosiers. They have been less than impressive when outside of Assembly Hall thus far.

Zeller put forth a solid effort finishing with 19 points (7-12 shooting) and 10 rebounds. The little things that he does are what I like best. He isn't able to get every rebound, but will do whatever he can to get his hand on it to tip it to a teammate. And his awareness on the defensive end is top notch. Zeller doesn't have the length or athleticism as some other big men prospects, but his understanding of positioning is unmatched.

Zeller was passive at times in this game, but Indiana did a good job continuing to get the ball through him. They ran a lot of set plays and you could tell they were stressing getting him the ball coming out of dead ball situations. He does a great job in pick and roll situations, especially when he decides to slip the screen. He played with patience and was anything but a black hole on offense.

While the youngest Zeller brother is having a good season, his stock has begun to drop a bit simply because he lacks the upside of a top 5 pick. This isn't a surprise - Zeller was a placeholder at the top of mock drafts until new names emerged and earned their spots during the season.

Victor Oladipo Gets No Respect

If I made an all-breakout team this year, Oladipo would have probably been on it. He was on the verge of breaking out last year, scoring double digits in 7 straight conference games before getting nicked up against Michigan State. That seemed to affect him the rest of the season, but he provided a nice going away present against star-studded Kentucky where he scored 15 points in only 20 minutes due to foul trouble.

Oladipo is a guy who came to college as a great defender and role player. He played at DeMatha in high school alongside Quinn Cook, Mikael Hopkins, and Jerian Grant. He wasn't asked to do much handling, as the Stags had an All-American point guard and a wing who averaged 5 assists in his freshman year at Notre Dame. I saw Oladipo in this time and came away with the impression that he was just a complimentary wing that played hard.

Three years later, Oladipo still has that same motor and ability to fit in with other good players - only he is doing it for the #1 team in the nation at Indiana. He averaged 10.8 ppg last year and shot 47% from the floor. He shot above the 50% threshold inside the arc and got to the line nearly as much as fellow wings like Austin Rivers, Harrison Barnes, LeBryan Nash, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. In conference play, Oladipo's free throw rate looked more like a big man and he surpassed Barnes, Rivers, and Nash in terms of getting to the line.

Oladipo's driving ability, in my opinion, is more impressive than all of them. He has an extremely quick first step and enters the lane with no fear. He can isolate himself at the top of the key, using a swaying crossover before attacking, or head straight for the rim off the wing. Oladipo's experience in the lane always has you holding his breath - he enters the lane at such speed and seems short of options - yet he has shown ability to avoid picking up charges by contorting his body. Oladipo, while not having the surest of handle, manages to somehow stay under control at 100mph, and weave his way to the hoop. It is really impressive to watch - I get excited every time Oladipo takes to the top of the key and starts measuring up his defender. When that happens, there is little doubt that Oladipo will end up with the defender in tow split seconds later. He is that quick.

His ball handling has improved much over his career and it seems that he has a great work ethic. His improvement in this area has allowed him to take advantage of his excellent first step, but moreso, show off good strength and tremendous explosiveness at the rim. He is a very quick jumper who can go off of either foot. 

Oladipo can also initiate a bit of offense off the dribble, looking like a bit of a combo guard at times. He is a rare breed of guys who can conjure up offense out of nowhere.

Defensively, he fouls too often, but plays with a lot of intensity. He will go for a steals and gets a fair amount of them thanks to his great hands. He also does a great job of using his jumping ability to its fullest to get rebounds at the top of their apex. Oladipo is a solid leader and can step up even more this year.

Part of his next step, is learning to slow down consistently, but he needs to develop a jumper. He seems to be able to get the mid-range shot, but at this point its a more efficient move to head into the lane. Oladipo's shot is a big concern and may be the reason some scouts haven't given him much of a chance, but that could end up in a mistake. Whoever gets Oladipo will be a lucky team.

This is a typical situation where teams miss out on what a guy can bring to a team because they are too busy at looking what he can't do. Oladipo has things you can't teach - athleticism, a NBA body, an excellent first step, explosiveness, and most of all, a terrific sense of competitive nature and work ethic. I'd much rather believe Oladipo can develop a jumpshot than believe PJ Hairston can learn to be effective without shooting once per two minutes.

Right now sites have Oladipo ranked 62 (Draftexpress), 110 (Chad Ford), 87 (NBADraftNet), and NBADraftInsider has him listed as the 10th best shooting guard. 

Me?

I've got him 35th - a late first rounder depending on who declares. He scored a season high 15 points last night against Georgia and as the games get even bigger, you can believe that Oladipo's game will as well.

Tune in tonight to watch him against projected lottery pick Otto Porter.