How close is Cody Zeller’s return to the Charlotte Hornets? An update

A month removed from breaking a bone in his right hand, Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller is close enough to returning that he might play in the next week.

Zeller was projected to miss four to six weeks after having surgery in New York City Jan. 3.

“We’re hoping before the (All-Star) break. It’s very encouraging,” Hornets coach James Borrego said of Zeller’s return. “I give our (medical) group a lot of credit. We’re not there yet, we’ve got to figure it out, but just that we have the potential to have him back in the next week is encouraging.”

Zeller injured his hand during a New Year’s Eve home victory over the Orlando Magic. The fracture was at the base of the middle finger of his right (shooting) hand. Zeller has been working out and shooting individually for about two weeks. He’s been doing so with a pad on his right hand that replaced a splint.

Zeller said recently it’s a positive this wasn’t a leg injury, since that has allowed him to work out enough to maintain some conditioning. In Zeller’s absence - the home date Saturday against the Chicago Bulls was his 16th consecutive game missed - Borrego has mostly started Bismack Biyombo at center, with Willy Hernangomez as Biyombo’s backup.

How quickly would Borrego attempt to work Zeller back into the rotation?

“I’d like to get him back into the mix as soon as possible, throw him in the fire and see what we’ve got,” Borrego said. “I think he’s a veteran, I think he understands (about staying engaged and ready).

“The team knows how to play with him. ...It’s not like Cody’s going on the floor and he’s a new player. They know how he plays. I don’t think it’s going to take a while to get back in a rhythm with Cody because he’s just been around so long.”

In the preseason, first-season coach Borrego said keeping Zeller healthy was one of the Hornets’ top priorities, to the extent that Borrego intended to hold Zeller out of some practices to manage his body. Zeller played 68 of a possible 164 regular-season games the past two seasons because of various injuries.