Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller fractured his right hand in Monday night's 125-100 victory over the Orlando Magic, according to the team.
Zeller suffered the injury in the third quarter and didn't return to the game. The 26-year-old recorded 14 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes before exiting the contest.
After the game, Hornets head coach James Borrego lamented the injury:
“We have some bigs on this roster that are more than capable of stepping up and they're going to need to step up… I feel bad for Cody. He was having a great year,” Borrego said. “Cody's so valuable to us on so many levels… Willy is capable. Frank and Biz have started before. All three are capable starters in this league. We're deep at that position. MKG and Marvin have also played some [center].”
It's unclear how much time Zeller will miss, but he's definitely out for the Hornets' next game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. Shooting guard Jeremy Lamb is doubtful for that game with a hamstring injury.
Zeller may not be putting up big numbers, but he's an important cog in Charlotte's rotation as the starting center. The 7-footer is averaging 9.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 24.5 minutes per game. He's shooting 55.8 percent from the field, and the Hornets have a plus-4.1 net rating with him on the court, per NBA.com.
As Borrego noted, Willy Hernangomez, Frank Kaminsky and Bismack Biyombo are available to soak up more minutes at center.
Charlotte is 18-18 on the season, which is good for sixth in the Eastern Conference.
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