Cavaliers rookie Tyler Zeller was a sight for sore eyes on Thursday at practice.

Even though he’s still sporting a shiner under his left eye and will be wearing a mask when he returns to the court on Saturday against Dallas as the result of an errant elbow from the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan on Nov. 5 in Los Angeles, he was a welcome sight for Cavaliers coach Byron Scott.

“Just having him back will help,” said Scott, whose second unit has struggled mightily since Zeller’s departure. “He’s another big body who knows how to play. He’s an integral part of what we do. He helps our rotation better.”

Zeller suffered a fractured left cheekbone and a concussion as a result of the elbow.  He had a bad headache for days and admitted he failed the reaction and balance parts of the league-mandated concussion protocol the first time he was tested.

via Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer