Zylan Cheatham
Zylan Cheatham (born November 17, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs and the Arizona State Sun Devils.
No. 45 – New Orleans Pelicans | |
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Position | Small forward |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Phoenix, Arizona | November 17, 1995
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
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College |
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NBA draft | 2019 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 2019–present |
Career history | |
2019–present | New Orleans Pelicans |
2019–present | →Erie BayHawks |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com |
Early life and high school
Cheatham grew up in South Phoenix and initially attended St. Mary's High School. He transferred to South Mountain High School after his freshman year, playing basketball there for two seasons before transferring to Westwind Preparatory Academy.[1] Cheatham transferred back to South Mountain after learning the school did not meet the NCAA's academic standards and retook all of his junior courses simultaneously with his senior courseload in order to graduate on time.[2] Ranked a consensus four star and top 100 recruit, Cheatham committed to San Diego State over offers from Arizona State, New Mexico, Georgetown, Miami and Utah.[3]
College career
San Diego State Aztecs (2015–2017)
Cheatham spent three seasons as a member of the San Diego State Aztecs, redshirting his freshman season after breaking the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.[4] As a redshirt freshman, he averaged 7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.[5] In his redshirt sophomore season, Cheatham averaged 9.1 points and 6.3 rebounds and was named honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2016 Diamond Head Classic after averaging 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds over four games as the Aztecs won the mid-season tournament.[6] Following the season, Cheatham announced that he would be leaving the program.[7]
Arizona State Sun Devils (2018–2019)
Cheatham transferred to Arizona State University for his final season of NCAA eligibility, citing a desire to play closer to home.[1] He averaged 12.2 points and a Pac-12 Conference-leading 10.3 rebounds per game and was named first-team All-Pac-12 and to the conference's All-Defensive team in his redshirt senior season.[8] He was named Pac-12 player of the week on December 3rd, 2018 following the second triple double in ASU history after recording 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in an 83-71 win over Texas.[9]
Professional career
Cheatham participated in the NBA G League Elite Camp and worked out for several teams before the 2019 NBA Draft, but was not selected in the draft.[10] He participated in the 2019 NBA Summer League as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans roster, averaging 5.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in six games. Cheatham signed a two-way contract with the Pelicans on July 24, 2019.[11] Cheatham made his NBA debut on November 16, 2019 in a 109-94 loss against the Miami Heat, scoring two points with three rebounds and an assist in 14 minutes of play.[12]
Career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019–20 | New Orleans | 4 | 0 | 12.8 | .667 | .000 | – | 2.3 | .8 | .3 | .3 | 3.0 |
Career | 4 | 0 | 12.8 | .667 | .000 | – | 2.3 | .8 | .3 | .3 | 3.0 |
College
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015–16 | San Diego State | 38 | 26 | 20.8 | .528 | .176 | .716 | 5.4 | .9 | .6 | .7 | 7.9 |
2016–17 | San Diego State | 31 | 22 | 23.4 | .519 | .167 | .756 | 6.3 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .6 | 9.1 |
2018–19 | Arizona State | 34 | 34 | 32.4 | .534 | .440 | .618 | 10.3 | 3.2 | .8 | .8 | 12.1 |
Career | 103 | 82 | 25.4 | .528 | .296 | .687 | 7.3 | 1.8 | .8 | .7 | 9.7 |
References
- Gardner, Michelle (November 4, 2018). "Zylan Cheatham ready to lead hometown ASU back to prominence". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- Jones, Kaelen (June 19, 2019). "Zylan Cheatham Is the NBA Draft's Hidden Gem". The Crossover. SI.com. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- Bain, Andrew (January 13, 2015). "San Diego State Basketball: 4-star freshman power forward Zylan Cheatham will redshirt this season". MWCConnection.com. SB Nation. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- Ortiz, Jenna (June 20, 2019). "Undrafted, ASU's Zylan Cheatham agrees to deal with New Orleans Pelicans". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- Roberts, Andy (October 5, 2016). "San Diego State basketball preview". MWCConnection.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- Zeigler, Mark (April 14, 2017). "Zylan Cheatham to transfer from SDSU". The Morning Call. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- Goodman, Jeff (April 24, 2017). "San Diego State forward Zylan Cheatham transfers to Arizona State". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- "Cheatham, Dort lead list of ASU players on 2018-19 All-Pac-12 teams". ArizonaSports.com. March 11, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- "ASU's Zylan Cheatham named Pac-12 Player of the Week". ArizonaSports.com. December 3, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- Sorenson, Eric (May 14, 2019). "Cheatham Happy With Elite Camp Performance". Sports360AZ.com. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- "Pelicans sign Cheatham and Gray to two-way contracts". NBA.com.
- Eichenhofer, Jim (November 17, 2019). "Behind the Numbers presented by HUB International: Warriors at Pelicans (11/17/19)". NBA.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.