Hornets set to receive a major boost to their front court for Saturday night matchup against Trae Young, Hawks

Welcome back Nick Richards.

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Welcome back Nick Richards. 

The Charlotte Hornets big man is set to make his return from injury tonight against the Atlanta Hawks. Richards had been sidelined since November 1st when he went down with a rib injury. The mountainous center was playing some of the best basketball of his career before his extended absence. 

The former Kentucky Wildcat started the season on an absolute tear, averaging a double-double, 11 points and 10 rebounds per game, while anchoring the Hornets defense with nearly 2.5 blocks an evening. 

He had put up three straight double doubles before getting hurt, the last of which was a 24 point, 14 rebound outing, one of the most impressive outputs of his NBA career. He was inserted into the Hornets starting lineup once Mark Williams, the incumbent starter, went down with a foot injury in training camp.

Richards is set to join Moussa Diabaté, Tidjane Salaün, and Taj Gibson as the lone healthy bodies in the Hornets front court. Charlotte has battled a litany of injuries in the early going, but the return of Richards will bring a boost to a unit that can use all of the reinforcements that can get. Charles Lee has thrown out a handful of funky lineups in recent nights - the return of Richards will be the first step in normalizing his rotations.

Richards is set to rejoin Charlotte tonight against the Atlanta Hawks with the team sporting a 6-13 record, good for 12th in the East. The Hornets can snap a four-game losing streak with a win over their division rivals this evening. 

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