It's Still Too Early to Tell What Cody Zeller Can Be for Charlotte Hornets

The old adage is that it takes at least three or four years for an NBA big man to fully develop. After two seasons and a slightly underwhelming impact for the Charlotte Hornets, what can we make of Cody Zeller's place in this league?

Zeller has kicked the bust conversation to the curb, but he very well might be nothing more than a solid rotational player. He still has a reasonably high ceiling, but there is virtually no chance he becomes a star.

Now with a reasonably high floor and a low ceiling, can Zeller turn into what the Hornets need?

What Type of Player Is He?

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Zeller entered the league as an athletic stretch-4 capable of getting out on the break and causing an underrated amount of havoc on defense. After two years at Indiana, he came in as a rookie with very translatable offensive skills and a limited ceiling.

The No. 4 overall pick in 2013 out of Indiana is posting numbers of 7.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 46.1 percent shooting with his 24 nightly minutes. Even though that draft crop was never supposed to be anything elite like the 2003 class, Zeller still has lofty expectations to reach.

However, the 7'0" Hoosier has not made the leap you'd expect from him in Year 2. His per-36 numbers are mostly identical, and the conversation has turned from bust status to "just how good is he?"

Going against what many draft experts said about him in college, Zeller hustles and exudes great effort on defense, which has actually landed him amongst some good company. He is 18th in the NBA in defensive RPM this season.

While he will never be a legitimate shot-blocker due to his oddly short 6'10.75" wingspan, he is far from a liability on the defensive end. His athleticism allows him to stick power forwards who play a similar style, and he's tall enough to cause problems for big guys. However, he still struggles against guys who can really stretch the floor or muscle him up.

What Else Can we Expect?

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Bust labels were being thrown around frequently after Zeller's poor start to his rookie year, but he turned it on in the second half. His 38 percent shooting turned into 50.7 after the break, quelling many of the doubters.

Zeller was on a similar roll before succumbing to a shoulder injury in a 95-69 drubbing by the Washington Wizards on March 9. He has missed 10 of 11 games since, thwarting his streak of six consecutive games scoring in double figures.

There lies the problem with Zeller. He is riddled with consistency issues, which is alarming because it was not an issue for him at all in college. As a young player, he is hellbent on defying analytics, making his living in the 16-23 foot area by attempting 37.3 percent of his shots there this season.

He rarely attacks the rim with authority despite having a lethal 35.5" standing vertical, the highest at the 2013 draft combine. Not even the guards could outjump him, including high-flying Ben McLemore.

Plain and simple: he will never be a star. His absolute ceiling is somewhere around present-day Enes Kanter or a more athletic Greg Monroe. One reason for this is most big men learn an inside game before stretching it outside. Zeller has never developed a low-post game and is unlikely to do so. He will be mostly a mid-range shooter and fast-break threat throughout his career, as well as a solid defender.

That being said, the main reason why he will be little more than a rotational player or solid starter in this league is because he lacks that killer instinct. Zeller does not have the "it" factor. Draft experts and fans all saw this during his sophomore season at Indiana, where he was mightily overshadowed by the breakout of Victor Oladipo.

Oladipo was the driving force behind those Hoosier teams despite coming in as an unheralded recruit. He showed the ferocity and "it" factor Zeller did not have. That is not to say he can't be a very good player in this league, but passive mid-range jump shooters only become so effective. Zeller does not have LaMarcus Aldridge capabilities to make that work out so well for him.

What Does it all Mean for Charlotte?

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As for the Hornets, Zeller represents another high draft pick they didn't knock out of the park. That draft wasn't flooded with hype or potential superstars, but many questioned taking Zeller fourth then, and they will start doing it again as long as the two guys taken behind him--Alex Len and Nerlens Noel--keep blowing up.

Alex Len of the Phoenix Suns is making big strides, and Nerlens Noel is becoming a dynamo for the Philadelphia 76ers. He was a torn ACL away from being the likely first overall pick, and it was shocking to see Zeller go to Charlotte instead of him.

Imagine Noel and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist anchoring this defense for the next 12 years. If that didn't knock Zeller down a few pegs in your book, then nothing will.

The Hornets were obviously not sold on Zeller because they took another former Hoosier power forward ninth overall in 2014. Noah Vonleh is the one with star potential, and his presence alone signals bad news for Zeller.

Charlotte did need for Zeller to become a star, but they don't if Vonleh lives up to his massive hype. It has been two years, and although Zeller is far from done growing, he has had every opportunity to show more than he has. There have been very few moments where he has shown he was worthy of that lofty draft selection.

If Zeller does not become a star, he will still have a role on this team. Charlotte does need his athleticism, and he could be even more of a cog if Steve Clifford can get this team to stop being the worst transition squad in the NBA. A 7-footer who can hit from the perimeter and perform an array of tasks on the court always has value in this league, but for Zeller, it won't be as a star.