When it was clear that Al Jefferson wouldn’t re-sign with the Charlotte Hornets this year, it seemed like Cody Zeller would be promoted to starting center.
Zeller is nowhere near as skilled as Jefferson, but he’s easily twice as athletic — especially at this point in each player’s career — and as a result gives head coach Steve Clifford much greater versatility on defense.
What was odd was that Clifford hadn’t shown much trust in Zeller, so the idea of Zeller being the unanimous starter didn’t make much sense.