GIF: Block Of The Season? Cody Zeller Rises To Reject Jeff Teague With Two Hands

Cody Zeller doesn’t exactly protect the rim like Alonzo Mourning used to for the Charlotte Hornets, but that hardly means he’s a traffic cone. Not only is the sophomore big man 6-11, but he’s a remarkably explosive leaper from a stand-still – according to DraftExpress, he’s the only prospect 6-10 or taller to ever record a no-step vertical leap of more than 35 inches at the pre-draft combine. Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague learned that the hard way tonight when he turned the corner around a ball-screen and exploded for a dunk attempt, only to have Zeller throw the ball right back at him with a towering, two-handed block.

Nasty.

Zeller is no shot-blocker – he only had 41 swats his rookie season, a low number due to a lack of awareness and length among other factors. But he’s plenty athletic and long enough to effectively challenge such a wildly ambitious poster attempt like Teague’s. The Hawks point guard is a surprisingly good leaper, but he’s not Eric Bledsoe or a healthy Derrick Rose.

And given the ease of Zeller’s epic block, one wonders if even those hyper-athletes would have had a chance to complete this flush.

What do you think?

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