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Gary Zeller
Gary Zeller stats, teams and career impact
#1616 all-timeCareer averages · 3.5 PPG · 1.2 RPG · 0.5 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Shooting guard
- Final NBA team
- Baltimore Bullets
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) · 205 lb (93 kg)
- Born
- November 20, 1947
- Died
- February 5, 1996 (48 yrs old)
- College
- University of North Texas, Long Beach City College, Drake University
- NBA seasons
- 2 seasons · 1970–71 to 1971–72
Career summaryGary Zeller was a shooting guard who played 2 NBA seasons, from 1970–71 through 1971–72.
- Career PPG
- 3.5
- Career RPG
- 1.2
- Career APG
- 0.5
- #164 in 1971–72
- #1616 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Gary Zeller ranks #1616 all time
Gary Zeller ranks #1616 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #165.3. His full-career value ranks #4427, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
78 games · Career Value Rank #4427
Head to head
Compare Gary Zeller with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Gary Zeller vs. Johnny O'Bryant Similar career path
- Gary Zeller vs. Charlie Paulk Similar career path
- Gary Zeller vs. Jeremy Pargo Similar career path
- Gary Zeller vs. Will Perdue Similar career path
- Gary Zeller vs. Mark West Similar career path
- Gary Zeller vs. George McCloud Similar career path
- Gary Zeller vs. Fred Taylor Same-era comparison
- Gary Zeller vs. Jimmy Collins Same-era comparison
- Gary Zeller vs. Ron Knight Same-era comparison
- Gary Zeller vs. Fred Hilton Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Baltimore Bullets
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 34.0%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 58.7%FT%
78 career games · 697 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Gary Zeller stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Box impact is an estimate in points per 100 possessions, not the 0–100 Impact Rate score. Zero is league average; higher is better. Rate rank is a league place: No. 1 is best.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Box impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| pts/100 · higher is better | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971–72 | 6.7 | 2.3 | 1.1 | -5.67 | BAL | 28 | 0 | 16.8 | 36.2% | — | 62.9% | #164 | -39.8 |
| 1970–71 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | -10.04 | BAL | 50 | 0 | 4.5 | 29.6% | — | 53.6% | — | -44.1 |
| Career | 3.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | — | BAL | 78 | — | 8.9 | 34.0% | — | 58.7% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average, from the historical box-score model. Zero is league average; higher is better. Historical defense estimates are included where labeled. This is not the live model's lineup-adjusted estimate.
- Impact Rate
- A 0–100 score comparing performance within one season. Higher is better. This is a score, not points per possession.
- Impact estimate
- The season model's final estimated points per 100 possessions above league average, before conversion to the 0–100 Impact Rate score. It includes lineup evidence where available. Zero is league average; higher is better.
- Impact Rate rank
- The player's place among qualified players in that season's Impact Rate ranking. No. 1 is best. This is a rank, not an impact score.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
165.5 composite · lower is better
165.6 average league finish
-84 total value
- Impact Rate
- 0–100 score within one season. Higher is better.
- Box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above league average, from the historical model. Zero is average; higher is better.
Career standing
How Gary Zeller ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score165.5
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 166.0
- Qualified seasons
- 1
- All-time rank
- #1616
Strongest seasons
Every season
Gary Zeller advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
Career movement
Gary Zeller's box impact by season
Peak box impact -5.67 points per 100 possessions in 1971–72 · 2 seasons · 697 minutes
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Rank labels show Impact Rate league places, not ranks on this chart's box-impact scale.
Box impact · points per 100 possessionsMinutesModeled estimate
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Early-career comparison
Compare the first 2 seasons
Both players are limited to their first 2 seasons. Later seasons never affect the selection or score, and the result is not a career prediction.
Gary ZellerJohnny O'Bryant
| NBA season | Gary Zeller | Johnny O'Bryant |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -10.0 | -8.9 |
| 2 | -5.7 | -5.3 |
NBA season number · first 2 seasons only
Similar starts
Players with starts similar to Gary Zeller
The start-similarity percentile compares era-relative impact, season-relative workload, trajectory, debut age, and role across exactly 2 seasons and 2,352 eligible starts. Higher means closer; it is not a probability or forecast.
PF · All-Time Career #3075
Johnny O'Bryant
96.5start similarity percentile
Impact: very closeWorkload: very closeTrend: very closeAge: closeRole: different
Limited evidence · first 2 seasonsClosest early-season pairing · 1971–72 ↔ 2015–16PF · All-Time Career #1640Charlie Paulk
94.2start similarity percentile
Impact: very closeWorkload: closeTrend: closeAge: very closeRole: different
Limited evidence · first 2 seasonsClosest early-season pairing · 1971–72 ↔ 1970–71PG · All-Time Career #2976Jeremy Pargo
92.6start similarity percentile
Impact: closeWorkload: very closeTrend: very closeAge: closeRole: close
Limited evidence · first 2 seasonsClosest early-season pairing · 1971–72 ↔ 2011–12Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →