Charlotte Hornets: 5 biggest disappointments from 2017-18 NBA season

5. Cody Zeller knee issues

The Charlotte Hornets signed center Cody Zeller to a four-year, $56 million contract extension back in October 2016. Their investment isn’t paying off just yet, as Zeller battled a left knee injury for much of the regular season.

He appeared in a career-low 33 games in 2017-18, averaging 7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game. For the first time his whole career, he didn’t start, mostly as a precaution, but it was a disappointing season for him, nonetheless.

Even then, Zeller’s presence on the floor didn’t change many outcomes. Charlotte was 14-19 with Zeller in the rotation. He generated an offensive rating of 105.3 and a defensive rating of 105.0 in his time on the floor in 2017-18.

He’s on track to be ready to go for 2018-19, but he’ll have to secure his role off the bench a bit more. Dwight Howard and Willy Hernangomez did their fair share for the frontcourt, making minutes limited heading into next season.