Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Surprisingly, the Philadelphia 76ers draft projection has taken an interesting turn. A few mocks currently has the team taking Indiana forward/center Cody Zeller at the number 11 overall pick in the first round of this year’s NBA Draft.
At one point, Zeller was considered a top seven or eight pick but because of the rise of other lottery picks his name has fallen a bit. For Philadelphia, that is just fine.
With the uncertainty regarding the future of center Andrew Bynum, it will be tough to keep enough depth down low going into next year without addressing it in the draft. If Bynum is left un-signed by the 76ers, they could use another big.
Zeller would also be able to back up power forward Thaddeus Young in some cases. Zeller has been a stud in college and has the potential to play either position down low.
An all-around great player in college, Zeller averaged 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds last year. To show his versatility he also threw in over a block and a steal per game as well.
It’s certain that Philadelphia could use a guy like Zeller coming off the bench – for now. They like Young down low and Spencer Hawes did a decent job filling in for Bynum last year. With Zeller rotating in, they could wind up having a very decent front court.
It will be interesting to see if Zeller winds up dropping as low as he could be projected to go. He is quite the talented prospect and will benefit an NBA franchise greatly. Will it be the 76ers? We’ll find out next week.
Ryan Heckman is a Senior NBA writer for www.RantSports.com also contributing to the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman or add him to your network on Google.
