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SALT LAKE CITY — Indiana's Cody Zeller learned last summer how nerve-racking and unpredictable the NBA Draft can be.
His brother Tyler was thought to be a lottery pick in the 2012 Draft, but waited and waited until he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 17th pick in the 1st round.
Cody is projected to go much higher than 14th when the Utah Jazz will make one of two first round selections, but after watching what happened to his brother, he knows it's possible he might be available when the Jazz are on the clock.
"Tyler fell a little bit in the draft, but it worked out with Cleveland because he loves it there," he said. "Weirder things have happened, so I just want to be safe."
The most pressing need for the Jazz is at point guard, but even with talented big men like Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter on the roster, the team will consider drafting Zeller if he is the best player available.
"They have some talented big guys, but I think I would be good in the rotation," Zeller said. "It's already a talented team, great fan support and I think it would be a good spot for me."
We saw that he's a much better outside jump shooter than we originally thought.
–Walt Perrin
Zeller averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds as a sophomore at Indiana, and led the Hoosiers to an outright Big Ten title and the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
He tested well at the NBA Draft Combine and impressed the Jazz in the workout by showing his shooting ability.
"We saw that he's a much better outside jump shooter than we originally thought," said Walt Perrin, Jazz Vice President of Player Personnel.
Zeller believes his quickness and athleticism make him NBA ready, but acknowledges that he must get bigger and stronger to battle with the best big men in the league.
"It's going to be a big year for improvement — kind of a learning year — but I'm ready for the process," he said.
The Jazz also worked out Clearfield High graduate Nick Thompson, who played college basketball at CEU, Oklahoma and Utah Valley.
