The Boston Celtics added some serious front court depth this offseason when they traded for David Lee and signed Amir Johnson. Those two new additions are projected to start this season for Boston and move out Tyler Zeller who is coming off an extremely productive season for the Celtics. Zeller was taken in the 2012 NBA Draft meaning that he is eligible for an extension and that reportedly might happen, according to A Sherrod of CSN Boston.
Zeller is one of three Celtics who is eligible for their first contract extension along with Perry Jones and Jared Sullinger. The Celtics have been notably disappointed with Jared Sullinger in his tenure with the team because of weight issues and Jones has yet to prove much in the NBA and is no lock to make the roster out of training camp. This makes Zeller the most likely of the bunch to get an extension and he is reportedly very open to the idea.
Zeller started 59 games for the Celtics a season ago and was a pleasant surprise. The seven footer averaged 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game and was the Celtics best big man down the stretch of the season. Zeller has his limitations as he is not a rim protector and doesn't rebound the ball all that well but he was solid for the Celtics a year ago in his first season in Boston and deserves to be rewarded for it.
Zeller looks like a nice fit in the Brad Stevens system and he is a very good athlete for his size. Zeller finished last season shooting 55 percent from the field so while he has his limitations he knows where he's effective and can make an impact as shown by his 18.9 PER.
Zeller likely won't get as much playing time in the 2015-16 season as he did down the stretch a year ago as the Celtics frontcourt is now very crowded but he will still likely be a key piece for them as they look to take a step forward. Zeller is still just 25 years old and has room to continue growing like he has in his first three NBA seasons so the Celtics would be wise to sign the former UNC Tar Heel to an extension as he is a perfect fit in Boston.
