10 biggest Indiana basketball NBA Draft busts of all time
By Joey Loose
Cody Zeller. 10. player. 170. . C. Charlotte Hornets
10. Cody Zeller (2013 Round 1 Pick 4)
The youngest of three brothers who all played in the NBA, Zeller became Indiana Mr. Basketball and found his way to the Hoosiers back in 2011. A 7’0 big man, Zeller played a major role in his two seasons on campus in Bloomington.
As a freshman, he averaged 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and was named Big Ten Rookie of the Year, leading the conference in field goal percentage. Zeller became a Second Team All-American as a sophomore, putting up 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds for a highly-ranked Indiana squad that made the Sweet Sixteen.
Zeller declared for the Draft after his sophomore season and was taken with the fourth pick by the Charlotte Bobcats. While he’s been a more than serviceable big man over the last decade, Zeller never really developed into a lottery-type player. He was a starter for most of his eight years in Charlotte, but in his best season (2019-20) he averaged just 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He’s recently been back in the league with the Miami Heat.
Had he been taken later in the first round, Zeller could’ve been a really great pick for his production; his numbers simply don’t match a 4th overall pick, especially after what he did at the collegiate level. Zeller is by no means a bad player and he’s had decent contributions over the years, it’s just not quite what was expected of him years ago. He never quite became a star even after his success in Indiana.