2024-25 Atlanta Hawks Roster Preview: Cody Zeller

The veteran big man might not be with Atlanta in the 2024-25 season, but if he stays on the team, what might his contributions look like?

Feb 2, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) reacts as he battles for a loose ball with New Orleans Pelicans center Cody Zeller (40) during the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Age: 32 years old (12th season)

Height, Weight: 6'11, 240 lbs

2023-24 Averages: 1.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game on 41.9%/33.3%/60.5% splits (43 games)

Career Averages: 7.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game on 52%/22%/72.7% shooting splits (552 games)

Even if Atlanta ends up being his last stop, Cody Zeller has carved out quite an impressive career for himself.

The veteran big man has never been at the top of the league's center rankings, but he finds ways to impact the game and be helpful for his team. Whether that's giving full effort on the boards, finishing plays or setting hard screens, he has earned his keep as a respectable veteran player,.

However, it's unlikely that he will be able to make much of an impact for the Hawks.

The Hawks are very deep at center. Capela, Nance and Okongwu are a very capable trio of big men who will not limit the Hawks from running anything. Neither are elite at any particular skillset, but they are all capable starters in their role. Zeller is clearly a step behind all three. He has lost some of the athleticism of his younger days to compete on defense. Furthermore, he is not much of a three-point shooter, so he cannot fall back on that skill to supplement some of his decline. Atlanta also signed free-agent center Tony Bradley to a new deal.

General manager Landry Fields was fairly candid in his assessment of Zeller's role on the team in 2024-25. He said this at Media Day:

“It's still an evaluation right now as it relates to our roster and how that's going to shape up going into training camp. “We're in talks with his camp. Just kind of seeing what that's going to look like for the future.” 

Due to him not playing in the Hawks preseason opener vs Indiana, it seems pretty clear that Zeller is going to be released as part of a buyout. That being said, there is still a chance that the Hawks decide to hold onto him. Okongwu has not yet recovered from his toe injury and the Hawks are an injury to Nance or Capela away from really needing Zeller for the start of the regular season.

If he does stick around for the Hawks, I would expect Zeller to be a part-time player. He does not have the athleticism to hold up as a starting center in the NBA anymore, but he can put forth a solid effort in 10-15 minutes of action. He can be a solid roll man in pick-and-roll actions with Trae Young, which is probably his main pathway towards being a useful offensive player for Atlanta.

On defense, I'm very skeptical that he can offer more than his size at this stage in his career. He's 6'11 and the tallest person on the roster for the Hawks, but I am not sure if that can translate into real defensive impact.

Best-Case Scenario: Zeller steps into the backup role due to injuries and fits as a helpful veteran presence for Atlanta. He competes hard on defense, sets good screens and hits the occasional three when the defense ignores him.

Worst-Case Scenario:  N/A since the most likely outcome is Zeller being bought out. The worst-case scenario might be that he sticks on the roster and has to play due to injuries, but is not very effective.