Zeller’s move to center paying big for Hornets

Cody Zeller’s unplanned move to center is paying dividends for Charlotte.

When Al Jefferson went down last season with an injury, coach Steve Clifford asked the 7-foot, 240-pound Zeller to fill in by shifting from power forward to the 5 spot. Zeller played so well that Clifford decided to keep him there even after Jefferson returned.

“It was kind of a freak thing how it happened and I don’t think anyone was planning on it,” Zeller said. “But I’m glad it worked out that way.”

The Hornets liked what they saw from Zeller so much last season they rewarded him with a four-year, $56 million contract in the offseason. They didn’t re-sign Jefferson.

Zeller spent the offseason working at improving his skills as a center. He’s still a work in progress midway in his fourth NBA season but is averaging career highs in points (10.8), rebounds (6.3) and blocks (1.2) per game.

And yet it’s hard to completely quantify Zeller’s worth in statistics.

He’s the type of player who does the little things — setting a solid screen to free up Kemba Walker or Nic Batum, tapping out an offensive rebound to a teammate or hustling back on defense to prevent a transition basket.

What he lacks in physicality against the league’s taller and stronger centers he makes up in hustle — something that at times tends to result in a trip to the training room.

“I don’t think there are many guys willing to break their nose like he has,” Batum said with a laugh on Zeller’s uncanny knack for taking shots to the face. “I mean that guy is diving on every ball and he doesn’t fear anybody. He’s facing guys like (Hassan) Whiteside, DeAndre (Jordan), (Rudy) Gobert and Dwight Howard every night. He’s been huge for us.”

McCollum cares

Blazers guard CJ McCollum was honored with the NBA Cares Community Assist award for November. In an effort to promote literacy and career development, McCollum collaborated with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland to open the CJ McCollum Dream Center. The space will host different clubs, programs and speakers to inspire kids.

He said it

Memphis Grizzlies coach David Fizale, to reporters, on why LeBron James isn’t cut out to be a coach someday: “He would kill somebody. Perfection is like — he wants perfection.”

Tall tale

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle joked before a game last week that Denver’s Nikola Jokic was taller than his listed 6-foot-11.

“That’s (ridiculous). He is probably like 7-4,” Carlisle said. “His arms are crazy long. He’s a guy that plays an on-the-floor game, but he is some player. Some of his passing is ridiculously creative and he can make shots. We know he can grab it and put in the basket because he did it about six times last game.”

Carlisle was equally impressed after Jokic had 27 points and 15 rebounds against the Mavs.

“He kicked our (butt) last game too,” he said. “It’s not a surprise. He’s good.”

No psychologist

Kings coach Dave Joerger was asked if he talks to the mercurial DeMarcus Cousins about playing with emotion, but not letting his emotions get the best of him. Cousins received an ejection last week that was reversed, hours after being fined by the Kings for his tirade aimed at a newspaper columnist on Dec. 12. “I just talk to him,” Joerger said. “I don’t psychoanalyze it.”

A temporary move by Cody Zeller (“kind of a freak thing”) became permanent.