Update on Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller’s recovery from a fractured finger
As Cody Zeller noted Monday, he can’t play through the sort of broken bone he has and you can’t speed up the healing process.
Charlotte Hornets center Zeller broke the ring finger on his left hand in the season-opener Dec. 23. He felt the finger “pop” while guarding Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, and knew from breaking a different finger two seasons ago that “pop” sensation was a fracture.
Zeller had surgery in New York on Christmas Eve and the prognosis then was he’d miss four to six weeks. That would likely put him back on the active roster sometime in early February.
Zeller said in a media conference call Monday that he hasn’t yet been cleared to use his left hand in workouts, but anticipates that happening soon. He is traveling with the Hornets on this four-game trip and working out -- mostly on a stationary bike -- to try to retain conditioning.
If there’s a saving grace to this injury, it’s that it’s on his left (non-shooting) hand. His previous hand fracture, in December of 2018, was the middle finger of his right hand, which was more likely to affect his shooting.
Bottom line, as Zeller put it: “There’s nothing you can do to speed up the healing of a bone.”
“It’s not like a muscle or something else, where you can kind of work through it. You really have to give it time to heal,” Zeller said. “My rehab has been trying to get some of the swelling out.”
Based on his prior fractured finger, Zeller said the healing process reaches a point after several weeks where it’s safe to play, and then it’s how much pain a player can tolerate in a game.
“I think it will be a little bit easier than last time because that was my right middle finger, and that’s exactly what you (use) to shoot,” Zeller said. “Even just that motion of holding your follow-through was painful last time around -- it stretched out” the fracture.
Biyombo fill-in as starter
With Zeller out, Bismack Biyombo moved into the starting lineup at center. Biyombo, in his 10th NBA season, has played well, including a 16-point, 12-rebound game against the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the Hornets’ depth at center is being severely tested.
Biyombo is averaging 30 minutes in the last five games. When he doesn’t play, coach James Borrego has gone with forwards P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges as small-ball centers.
So far, Borrego hasn’t used either of two rookie big men -- second-round picks Vernon Carey and Nick Richards -- when games are still undecided.
The Hornets have an open roster spot and more than $5 million in space under the NBA salary cap, but general manager Mitch Kupchak has not so far added a fill-in big man while Zeller is hurt.
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Update on Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller’s recovery from a fractured finger."
