Charlotte Hornets: Watch Cody Zeller work on his mid-range game
Cody Zeller is looking to add another wrinkle to his game as the Charlotte Hornets’ big man attempts to improve his outside shooting.
Cody Zeller has been hitting the gym so far this summer. Entering his fifth year in the league, the big man hasn’t been far from the Charlotte Hornets‘ training facility since the regular season ended. The team has posted multiple videos and photos of him in the weight room and in the practice gym getting shots up.
In their most recent post, the seven-footer can be seen working on his mid-range game as he looks to make that an aspect of his game. It may only be a practice video but there isn’t much to get excited about this time of year for Hornets’ fans. This is one positive thing to come out on the offseason so far.
Cody has never had a consistent jump shot but it has been a point of emphasis that he should work on throughout his NBA career. While he has made some small strides, there is still a ways to go. Maybe this offseason will be the time when he finally develops that part of his game and can put it on display next year.
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This past season, the 24-year old only managed to shoot 28.3% from mid-range which was the second worst on the team of players who made a shot from that range. Zeller was only ahead of Treveon Graham in that category and well behind every other big man (Johnny O’Bryant, Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert) besides Miles Plumlee and Christian Wood who had limited opportunities. (stats.NBA.com)
From 15ft-19ft, he only shot 29.7% which wasn’t much better and well behind the 46.4% that Roy Hibbert put up from that same distance during his time with the Hornets. Expanding on those numbers, from 16ft-24ft he was 11th best on Charlotte’s roster only shooting 26.4%.
Three-point shooting is another story for Cody. He only shot once from behind the arc in 2015-16 which was low compared to the 10 times that he did so in the season before. Although, the Indiana product has only made two three’s in his career so he doesn’t have a very successful track record from deep. That is why he first must focus on improving his mid-range game then slowly work his way out to the three-point line.
In a recent video posted by the Charlotte Hornets, Zeller was shown knocking down multiple mid-range jumpers:
By my count, that was three consecutive jumpers that Cody made with ease. If that is any indication on how he will shoot next season, that would be a huge improvement to not only him but also to the team as well. It would make the big man more lethal in pick and roll/pop plays and it would help spread the floor so that Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum could create.
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Obviously, game speed and shooting in practice are two totally different things but this is a positive sign, however small it may be, for Zeller. The Charlotte Hornets will be hoping that he develops a consistent mid-range game going forward. Even though he hasn’t made been a great shooter in the past, Cody has a smooth looking jumper.