The Hornets‘ top two rotational centers, nominal starter Mark Williams and his backup Nick Richards, have rejoined Charlotte team activities, the team has announced (Twitter link).
Williams has been sidelined for 11 months with a left foot tendon strain. Richards is grappling with a right first rib fracture. 16th-year veteran big man Taj Gibson has been starting in their stead. Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscriber link) projects return timelines for both players.
The 7-foot Williams has struggled through injury issues for all of his three pro seasons thus far. Last year before going down, he was averaging a career-best 12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.8 steals a night.
Richards, a fifth-year Kentucky alum, had averaged an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double during his five healthy games this year.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Hawks reserve center Cody Zeller is currently not with the team, per Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com (Twitter link). The 6-foot-11 big man has been away from Atlanta all year due to personal reasons, and is currently considered week-to-week.
- The struggling Wizards are hoping that an improved emphasis on rebounding will abet Washington defensively, writes Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network.
- Second-year Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly has been placed in the league’s concussion protocol, sources inform Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). He was sidelined with the issue Monday after getting elbowed in the mouth on Sunday. Head coach Brian Keefe has revealed that Coulibaly was a “full participant” during the club’s Thursday practice, and the team is hopeful he will be able to suit up against Boston on Friday. Robbins tweets that Coulibaly is not on the Wizards’ injury report for the game.
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