Cody Zeller Fractures Hand In Season Opener, Out 4-6 Weeks

DECEMBER 24: The Hornets anticipate that Zeller will miss four to six weeks of action following a surgery today on his fractured left hand, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.


DECEMBER 23: The Hornets have announced that starting center Cody Zeller fractured his left hand during Charlotte’s 2020/21 season opener, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.

Bonnell says the severity of the fracture, and thus the amount of time Zeller could miss, is unclear. The 28-year-old out of Indiana averaged 11.1 PPG and 7.1 RPG on 52.4% field goal shooting during the 2019/20 season. He injured his hand in the second half of an eventual 121-114 loss to the Cavaliers.

An extended loss of games for Zeller could lead to more run for rookie bigs Vernon Carey Jr., the No. 32 pick out of Duke, and Nick Richards, the No. 42 pick out of Kentucky. Bonnell expects Bismack Biyombo to replace Zeller as the Hornets’ starting center.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Charlotte is among a small quantity of clubs with an open roster spot still available.

[RELATED: 2020/21 NBA Roster Counts]

There are several veteran big men still on the free agent market, including Dewayne Dedmon, Taj Gibson, and Kyle O’Quinn.

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