Charlotte Hornet player predictions 2016-17 season
The Charlotte Hornets are projected to do well this year with the help of key players like Frank Kaminsky, Kemba Walker, and Will Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Photo by: nba.com
By Collin Giuliani// Staff Writer
Last season, the Charlotte Hornets surpassed all expectations. They finished the season with a 48-34 record, finished sixth in the Eastern Conference, and won three playoff games in the first round against the Miami Heat. They did all of this for the first time since rejoining the league as the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004. Replicating that success is not going to be an easy task this season as the team lost key contributors in the offseason, including Al Jefferson, Courtney Lee, and Jeremy Lin. History is not on Charlotte’s side either; since rejoining the league in 2004, the Hornets have never made the playoffs in consecutive seasons. Here are three key story lines for the Hornets as they look to build off of last season’s campaign.
Can Frank Kaminsky play like a first-round pick?
One of the most questionable selections of the 2015 NBA Draft was when the Charlotte Hornets drafted Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky with the ninth overall pick, passing on small forward Justise Winslow, a member of Duke’s 2015 National Championship team. Hornets owner Michael Jordan wanted Kaminsky at all costs. According to ESPN’s Chris Forsberg, the Hornets turned down six draft picks including four first-round picks from the Boston Celtics so that they could draft Kaminsky. One season in and Jordan’s decision to draft Kaminsky over Winslow does not look good. While Winslow made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team last season, Kaminsky averaged just 7.5 points per game, and started just three games. This season, the 23-year old is looking to prove the doubters wrong, as he will have an expanded role coming off of the bench behind starting power forward Marvin Williams. Charlotte has not had success drafting in recent years. The Hornets traded away their first round pick in 2016 to the Sacramento Kings, the decision to take Frank Kaminsky in 2015 was widely criticized, and none of the players that the Hornets drafted in 2014 are currently on the roster. If Kaminsky can provide an impact this season off the bench, then it would be monumental for the Hornets.
Can Kemba Walker become a superstar?
Last year, Kemba Walker had his best season as a professional. He averaged a career high of 20.9 points per game, a career best field goal percentage of .427, and a career high of 4.4 rebounds per game. Chris Barnewall of SB Nation stated that last season, “He almost brought the Hornets to the second round by himself,” as he averaged 25 points per game in the first six games of their first-round series against the Miami Heat. Walker played like one of the best guards in the NBA last season and this year, he could make the jump to superstar status. As of this writing, Walker has shown no signs of slowing down, averaging 24.3 points per game and having scored at least 22 points in five of his first six games. If he keeps it up, Walker can become the first Hornets player since Gerald Wallace in the 2009-10 season to make it to the NBA All-Star Game.
How will Michael Kidd-Gilchrist recover?
At the start of last season, the Hornets made it a priority to re-sign Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, their first-round pick in 2012. Kidd-Gilchrist signed a contract worth $52 million over four years, and was locked up for the foreseeable future. However, the Hornets did not get to see too much of Kidd-Gilchrist last season as he only played in seven games due to multiple injuries to his right shoulder and multiple surgeries. The Hornets need Kidd-Gilchrist to have a good season and bounce back, as the man backing him up at small forward is Treveon Graham, an undrafted player from 2015 who spent last season with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League. As of this writing, Kidd-Gilchrist is performing right in line with how he was in previous seasons, averaging a career-high of 7.8 rebounds per game and recording 9.7 points per game. If he can continue this for the entire season, then the Hornets will be in a good position to make the playoffs and build off of last season’s success.