Ever since it was announced that Al Jefferson was going to miss 2-3 weeks, the alarms were sounded and the big question was who would fill the void left by Jefferson’s absence. Initially, the answer was simply “Center by Committee”. As the games have passed by, a different answer has rung clear. Cody Zeller could very well be the Center of the future for the Charlotte Hornets. Gone is his somewhat weaker gameplay. He has continued playing with his intense level of energy as he has been doing all season, but with one difference: he’s starting games at the center position. That’s a position that everyone said he would struggle with at the NBA level. Hindsight is 20/20. We can see what was, but let’s look at what is. Last night he denied Andrew Drummond a double-double performance (9 points and 9 rebounds). Drummond is averaging a double-double and outweighs Zeller by at least 30 lbs. Cody had Drummond in foul trouble for most of the night and Andre netted his 5th foul not quite half way through the 3rd quarter.
So what numbers are we seeing from Zeller while Al has been out? Cody’s first starting job at C was against the red-hot Warriors. He put up 6 points and 3 rebounds. Everyone struggled in that game and Cody only saw 17 minutes of floor time. His first real test came in Chicago, facing Pau Gasol. Cody finished the night with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, a block, and zero turnovers in 32 minutes of play. Gasol? He had 13 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and a turnover. In the words of NBA Jam, Cody’s heating up. He was heating up for his game against Detroit last night. Cody put forth 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks. Drummond had 9points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 turnover, and 5 fouls.
Can I say that in the game against the Miami Heat tomorrow, Cody will be “on fire”? No I can’t. Last night’s game was against an NBA center that makes his living in the paint. Tomorrow, Chris Bosh makes his living all over the place. It will be a completely different look for Cody to face, but I’d be willing to bet that he will definitely be up to the challenge.
Like it or not folks, the mold of an NBA center is, and has been shifting more to what Cody offers than what Al offers. I believe that Al is an absolute maestro in the paint, and his post-game is second to none, but it just isn’t what the NBA is morphing into. Fast pace, cuts to the hoop, transition 3-pointers; it’s the NBA of the future. I’m just glad we held on to Cody and are getting to reap all of the rewards of his hard work.
Cody didn’t do it alone last night:
Nic Batum – 13 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals
Kemba Walker – 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block
Marvin Williams – 14 points and 12 rebounds
Jeremy Lin – 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals
Spencer Hawes – 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist
Frank Kaminsky – 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block
Jeremy Lamb – 6 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block
PJ Hairston – 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Tyler Hansbrough – 3 points and 2 rebounds
We outrebounded one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA. We had more assists. We won by 20. What could we have done better? We could have committed fewer turnovers. We had 14 turnovers to the Pistons 12. Aside from that, we had a fairly cold 4th quarter, scoring only 16 points (though we had scored 88 points through 3 quarters). I have to say that part of that low score was time for the Hornets bench on the floor, stretching their legs a bit.
All in all, it was another fun game to watch. Good team basketball and 5 players in double-figures usually equates to a win for the Hornets. Our next game is tomorrow night, live at The Hive, as we face the Miami Heat. We owe them a loss since they beat us in our opening game of the season. Let’s sting them in our house…our HIVE.
Let’s Go Hornets!
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