Paul Zipser Scouting Report: Meet Bayern Munich’s Jack of All Trades

Heading into the season, most draft experts pegged Paul Zipser as a second-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Playing for Bayern Munich, a team the relies almost exclusively on veteran players, Zipser wasn’t projected to play much in European competition. The combination of his age (22-years-old), limited minutes and lack of strong international play made projecting him any higher difficult.

But with the Euroleague regular season done, Zipser has made it clear that he’s a worthy prospect for the NBA Draft. Zipser ended up playing 15 minutes per game off the bench for Bayern, and shot 47.5 percent from the field to post 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest. Of the three first-round prospects in Euroleague play (himself, Dragan Bender and Furkan Korkmaz), Zipser ended up seeing the most consistent minutes, and he proved he may have what it takes to get into the first round of this draft.

Unfortunately, Bayern Munich was the odd man out in a bonkers Group A draw and the team has been removed from Euroleague competition. They will now compete in EuroCup and domestic play. So, let’s bid adieu to Zipser by addressing what we learned about him from his time in the competition.

Physical Tools

Zipser’s lot in the NBA is hard to project. He’s somewhat of a tweener, standing 6-8 and 210 pounds, with the typical build of a perimeter-oriented player. But he has the athleticism of a player who would fit more as a stretch four. Zipser is a good leaper and he can get above the rim and finish in transition well.

Zipser’s not the most fluid player, especially off the dribble, and he lacks a good first step with which to get by defenders. He makes up for that lack of elite quickness with a very strong body, and he has no qualms about tangling inside with opponents much bigger than him. Also, he still has enough lateral quickness to be a good defensive player.

Really, even though Zipser has the size to be a natural three in the NBA, I could see his game translating well to playing as a true combo forward who can drop down to the outside in bigger lineups but thrive as a small-ball four.

Offense

Zipser is going to be a role player at the next level. His offensive game isn’t pretty and he is lacking in areas that would allow him to create his own offense. Zipser’s off-the-dribble game is basically non-existent, as he lacks quickness and a good handle to effectively get past an NBA-level defender. He’s not a creative ball-handler, either, and he struggles to create separation from the defense because of it. He is good at attacking close-outs, which helps, but he’s going to have real issues attacking the basket at the next level.

Zipser’s game translates well into being an outlet in the offense, though. The big draw to Zipser is that he projects as a solid catch-and-shoot forward. He’s struggled to hit from 3-point range in Euroleague play (just 5-18), but he’s hit 16-31 for a total percentage of 40.5 percent on the year, and he’s got great form on these shots as well.

Zipser does get bothered by close-outs at this juncture, but the 3-pointer is a fairly new aspect to his offensive game. Given time, I think Zipser should come into his own as a shooter.

Zipser also rebounds well for his size, though that should be taken with a grain of salt due to the small-ball nature of Euroleague play. A lot of that is because of his motor. Zipser’s a high-energy guy, and he attacks the glass well, especially when his shot isn’t falling. He’s hovered right around two offensive rebounds per 36 minutes for his career, and he should have some success operating underneath the basket if allowed to.

It’s also worth noting that Zipser fills lanes and finishes lobs at the rim well, and he’s a decent free throw shooter in a limited sample, shooting 84.5 percent so far this year. Both of those things are valuable for a guy who’s not going to be the top priority in an offense a vast majority of the time.

Zipser might have serious flaws in his ability to score and dribble, but he can still be useful offensively. And all he has to be is occasionally useful.

Defense

I’ve absolutely loved what I’ve seen from Zipser defensively this Euroleague season. Bayern was a solid defensive team throughout the tournament, minus two significant blips against Real Madrid, and Zipser fit right in as a high-octane garbageman who defended everyone from Bogdan Bogdanovic to Willy Hernangomez. He has the strength to deal with bigger forwards, and can also slide down and defend dribble-drive wings comfortably.

The immediate draw of Zipser is his shot-blocking ability, something he loves to do both in transition and the halfcourt.

Zipser has averaged 1.7 blocks per 36 minutes, and he’s good for a highlight reel swat once every couple of games. Even though he’s not going to be Rudy Gobert once he comes to the NBA, it’s a good showcase of the energy he brings to the court on the defensive side of the ball.

Zipser may be at his best defending on the perimeter in the NBA, where he uses a strong understanding of positioning and his size to cut off opponents’ moves to the basket. He did a fantastic job of defending Italian scoring guard Alessandro Gentile in Eurobasket play because of this, and the promise is there that Zipser’s going to be capable of locking down NBA scorers eventually. He also can probably handle smaller forwards down in the post, though he’s willing to take on the challenge of bigger opponents inside. He benefits from playing for Bayern defensively, too; the veteran-heavy squad uses a few modern NBA-type tactics, and Zipser comes into the league with a little better understanding of positioning than your average rookie.

Zipser has the body type, the basketball IQ and the determination to become a successful NBA defender. That alone might propel him into the first round.

Potential NBA Role

As previously discussed, Zipser likely fits in the NBA as a garbageman type who fills a role as a spot-up shooter and wing defender who can capably handle defending in a small-ball lineup. Ideally, his 3-point shooting continues to improve and he becomes a better passer, allowing him to be a functional member of the offense while he takes charge of defending the opponent’s best wing scorer. If so, his best fit is probably next to a four who can create offensively, allowing him to settle in on the fringes of the offense and take over some defensive load from that player on the other end.

Guys like Paul Millsap, Blake Griffin and the Memphis frontcourt pairing are all good fits for this type of role — he could even have some success as a Shane Battier type next to guys like LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony. Zipser’s best comparison in the league is probably someone like DeMarre Carroll, a guy who thrives on the scraps of an offense while being a grinder on the defensive side of the ball.

Ultimately, Zipser has some problems that will limit him from going any higher that the early 20s in the draft, but he projects to be the type of guy a lot of teams wish they could have.