WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tyler Zeller is officially back in Boston's lineup.
Zeller has not played since Dec. 29 as a result of an illness that remained a mystery to both him and doctors for quite some time. The illness was eventually determined to be an issue with his inner-ear, which he said resulted in his balance being thrown off and him feeling “a little out of it” over the past three-plus weeks.
Zeller fully participated in Monday's practice and Tuesday morning's shootaround with no issues, which gave him confidence to return to the lineup tonight.
“I felt good,” he said Tuesday morning of his participation in practice. “I felt as good as I could.”
Brad Stevens couldn't be happier to have the 7-footer back in the lineup, not only because it means Zeller is now healthy, but also because the Celtics are set to embark on a four-games-in-five-nights stretch beginning tonight in our nation's capital.
“I just think that you talk about another body,” Stevens commented before tip-off of what Zeller provides the C's with his return. “A guy who can run the floor, another guy with size that can help you rebound and then match up with certainly some of the bigger, stronger guys around.”
Another key quality that Zeller brings to the table is one that may go unnoticed to fans.
“One of the things about Tyler is you always know what you're going to get,” Stevens added. “He's very consistent on a day-to-day basis, whether it's in practice or in the games. You certainly miss that when he's not around.”
Zeller nearly returned all of his qualities and skills to the lineup Saturday evening when Boston hosted the Portland Trail Blazers. However, he suffered a setback the night before, as he revealed Tuesday morning.
“I made it about a week last week (without any symptoms) which is why it was so frustrating Saturday,” he said, “because the symptoms came back Friday night after practice, and it had been about a week with no symptoms. So very frustrating. I was really excited to play on Saturday and woke up and just wasn't in a place to be able to do it.”
Zeller added that he would have been able to practice that day, but he just didn't feel well enough to play his first game in a live five-on-five setting.
Today is much different. Zeller is symptom-free and feels comfortable in his return to the lineup tonight against the Wizards. The timing couldn't be much better, because the C's need as many bodies as they can get as they navigate a challenging week of games.
