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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