Pelicans' Cody Zeller: Modest role as backup center
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Zeller accumulated zero points (0-1 FG, 0-2 FT) and three rebounds over five minutes during Tuesday's 131-110 win over the Mavericks.
With Larry Nance (ribs) sidelined, Zeller is the primary backup center behind Jonas Valanciunas. However, Zeller has played double-digit minutes just twice over the Pelicans' last five games. New Orleans is opting to go smaller with its second unit, with Zion Williamson and now Naji Marshall -- who recently made his season debut -- operating as small-ball centers.
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Pelicans' Cody Zeller: Suiting up Wednesday
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Zeller (back) isn't on the injury report for Wednesday's season opener against the Grizzlies.
Zeller is available for Wednesday's season opener despite not playing in the preseason with a back injury. He is expected to be New Orleans' third-string center behind Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Nance.
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Pelicans' Cody Zeller: Full practice participant
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Zeller (back) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Erin Summers of Bally Sports New Orleans reports.
Zeller hasn't suited up this preseason but appears to be progressing in his recovery from a back injury. His practice participation is a good sign of his availability for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Grizzlies.
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Pelicans' Cody Zeller: Out once again
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Zeller (back) didn't play in Saturday's 110-105 preseason loss to the Hawks.
Zeller has now missed three games in a row, and his availability for the regular-season opener against Memphis on Oct. 25 could be in jeopardy. His next chance to play will come Tuesday at Orlando.
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Pelicans' Cody Zeller: Doesn't play Thursday
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Zeller (back) didn't play in Thursday's 120-87 preseason loss to the Rockets.
Zeller continues to deal with a back injury and was unavailable for a second consecutive matchup. It's unclear whether he'll be available for Saturday's game against Atlanta.
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Pelicans' Cody Zeller: Inactive Tuesday
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Zeller (back) is out for Tuesday's contest versus the Magic, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.
Zeller's back issue was previously unreported, which seemingly indicates that it's a minor issue for the veteran. His next chance to suit up comes Thursday against Houston.
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Pelicans' Cody Zeller: Headed to New Orleans
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Zeller and the Pelicans agreed Sunday on a one-year, $3.1 million deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Zeller was a free agent for most of the 2022-23 campaign before latching on with Miami in mid-February. He carved out a solid reserve role with the Heat and appeared in 37 contests (two starts) over the final few months of the campaign, including postseason. He averaged just 3.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.6 minutes during those appearances, but the 30-year-old still has a place in the league as a veteran presence off the bench.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Cleared to play Wednesday
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Zeller (foot) is available for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Nuggets on Wednesday, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
As expected, Zeller has been upgraded from probable to available for a second straight game. He's played 15 minutes over the first two games of the series, totaling four points and seven rebounds.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Likely to play in Game 3
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Zeller is probable for Wednesday's Game 3 against Denver due to a sprained right foot, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Zeller was also considered probable for Game 2 before being upgraded to available. The veteran big man is averaging 2.0 points and 1.5 rebounds in 7.5 minutes across the first two contests of the series.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Available for Game 2
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Zeller (foot) is available for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Nuggets on Sunday, Tim Reynolds of Associated Press reports.
Zeller was upgraded to probable ahead of Sunday's matchup and will be able to suit up once again. In Game 1 on Thursday, he was held scoreless with three rebounds in seven minutes.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Likely to play Sunday
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Zeller (foot) has been upgraded to probable for Sunday's matchup with the Nuggets in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Zeller had been listed as questionable on the initial Game 2 injury report the Heat released Saturday, but he's apparently shown some improvement as Sunday's 8 p.m. ET opening tip draws closer. Even if active Sunday, Zeller likely won't play more than a handful of minutes behind starting center Bam Adebayo, who is once again expected to shoulder a heavy workload.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Questionable for Game 2
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Zeller is questionable for Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday due to a sprained right foot, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Zeller was held scoreless across seven minutes of action in Game 1 and appears to have picked up a foot sprain during the contest. Though he plays an auxiliary role as Miami's backup center, his potential absence could open the door for Kevin Love to rejoin the rotation.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Listed as available
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Zeller (illness) is listed as available for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Boston on Wednesday.
Zeller missed Monday's practice due to an illness and was listed as questionable, but he's had a few days to recover and will ultimately be available for Game 1. The backup big man has had a limited role in the playoffs thus far, averaging 2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in 8.9 minutes across 10 appearances.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Listed as questionable
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Zeller (illness) is questionable for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Boston on Wednesday.
Zeller didn't practice Monday due to the illness and finds himself in jeopardy of sitting out Game 1. The backup center has had a minimal impact so far in the playoffs, averaging 2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in 8.9 minutes across 10 appearances.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Doesn't practice Monday
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Zeller didn't participate in Monday's practice session due to an illness, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Zeller has had a limited impact to begin the playoffs, but he was unavailable for Monday's practice due to his illness. It's unclear whether the issue will impact his availability for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics on Wednesday.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Minimal impact in victory
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Zeller closed with one point (1-2 FT), one rebound and one steal across eight minutes during Sunday's 108-101 win over New York in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Zeller managed just eight minutes in the win, failing to have a tangible impact once again. While he has had his moments thus far in the playoffs, as long as Bam Adebayo is healthy, Zeller figures to be nothing more than an emergency option on most nights.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Falls to second unit Sunday
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Zeller will not start Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Magic, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Zeller will sub back out the starting unit with Bam Adebayo tagging back in for some minutes. Zeller could still see a decent amount of action, as it would be surprising if the starters are deployed for their usual workloads with the Play-In Tournament around the corner Tuesday.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Will start Friday
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Zeller will start Friday's contest against the Wizards, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
With Bam Adebayo (quadriceps) and Kevin Love (ribs) out, Zeller will draw his second start of the season. In his previous start, the veteran center posted 20 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Returns to bench role
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Zeller will play off the bench Tuesday versus the Pistons.
Zeller made the most of his spot start Saturday versus the Mavericks, compiling 20 points, eight boards and a steal over 29 minutes. His workload will presumably be drastically scaled back again Tuesday with Bam Adebayo back in the fold and starting for Miami.
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Heat's Cody Zeller: Crushes in spot start
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Zeller provided 20 points (9-13 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-3 FT), eight rebounds and one steal across 29 minutes during Saturday's 129-122 win over the Mavericks.
Zeller slid into the starting lineup Saturday, filling in for Bam Adebayo (hip), who was ruled out shortly before the opening tip. Making his first start of the season, Zeller delivered easily his best performance. If Adebayo misses more time, Zeller could be a sneaky streaming option, although a performance like the one he delivered Saturday likely won't be replicable on a regular basis.
