Charlotte Hornets: Cody Zeller Suffers Concussion, Out Indefinitely

The Charlotte Hornets will be without Cody Zeller after he suffered a concussion against the Cavs as there is no timetable for his return.

The Charlotte Hornets have announced that they have placed Cody Zeller in the NBA’s Concussion Protocol after he suffered a head injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was hit in the head near the end of the game as the concussion came late in the fourth quarter. The injury was unclear until two days after the game and the big man will now likely miss multiple games.

There is no timetable for his return and the symptoms from the concussion can last for some time. It is almost impossible to speculate on when Zeller will return to the team as it could be a couple of weeks to a month or more. Once Cody is clear of symptoms, he can return to action.

Hopefully, that happens sooner rather than later as this will be a tough injury for the team to endure. Zeller has been one of the Hornets’ best and most consistent players and without him, other guys will need to step up in his place. Roy Hibbert is the likely beneficiary of Cody’s minutes and will likely start at center for Charlotte.

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The 24-year old is enjoying a career season this year as he is has built a strong rapport with both Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum in pick-and-roll situations. Zeller is averaging 10.7 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists per game, and 1.1 blocks per game this season. He is also shooting 59.5% from the field which is one of the highest marks in the league.

Cody has started 29 of 31 games this year as he has been a name stay in the starting lineup. He has only missed three games so far this season and that was because of a shoulder injury. Aside from that, Zeller has mostly been healthy, although, he did dislocate a finger in a recent outing against the Orlando Magic but he played through that knock.

Expect Frank Kaminsky and Spencer Hawes to receive more minutes along with Hibbert because of the injury. Even though this loss will hurt the team, they are pretty strong in the frontcourt so that will help them weather the storm. Christian Wood could also get some playing time in Zeller’s absence but that is unclear and more about the rotation in the coming days.

Here’s a video of the injury.

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It is unfortunate that Cody suffered the injury but he is no stranger to getting hit in the face/head area. Hopefully, he gets healthy soon and the injury doesn’t keep him out for a long time. The situation will be monitored closely and we will update when more news becomes available.