Five key questions for the Charlotte Hornets in 2018-19
By Collin Giuliani// Sports Editor
The 2018-19 NBA season gets underway shortly, as the Charlotte Hornets look to win a postseason series for the first time since the 2002 playoffs. This past offseason for the Hornets was one full of change. The team brought on a new president of basketball operations, General Manager Mitch Kupchak made five trades, and the team franchise fired head coach Steve Clifford after five seasons. As the Hornets look to improve on their disappointing 36-46 record from last season (the second straight year that the team finished 36-46), here are five key questions for Charlotte entering the new season.
1) What do the Hornets do about Kemba Walker?
Perhaps the biggest question entering the new year for Charlotte is what to do about point guard Kemba Walker. Walker was drafted by the then-Charlotte Bobcats with the ninth pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and while the team has struggled immensely since then (just two winning seasons in seven years, including a disastrous 7-59 record in the 2011-12 season), Walker has been one of the few bright spots in that stretch. In his seven seasons with the Hornets, Walker has averaged 18.9 points per game and has made it to the NBA All-Star Game in each of the past two seasons. Walker has emerged as one of the top 3-point shooters in the league, as his 231 3-pointers last season ranked fourth in the entire NBA, only behind James Harden of the Houston Rockets, Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors. And after seven seasons with the Hornets, Walker holds the franchise record in points scored (9,907), 3-pointers made (1,023), 3-pointers attempted (2,858), and free throws (2,018).
However, Walker has just one season left on his contract, as he will hit free agency after the 2018-19 season concludes. The Hornets tried to trade him last season for an all-star caliber player, but could not find any suitors. Trading him with one year left on his contract to a contending team is definitely an option for Kupchak and the Hornets to consider this season. Walker has stated that he is happy in Charlotte, and earlier this offseason, he shots down any trade rumors. On the rumors, he stated, “I’m not even thinking about it. I see it all the time. I hear about it all the time. I hear about the rumors, but I [couldn’t] care less. I’m a Hornet, and that’s really all that matters.”
Do the Hornets trade him, do they try and sign him to a long-term extension, or do the Hornets let him play out the season and risk him leaving afterward without getting anything in return? Walker is arguably the greatest player in the history of the franchise, so this situation is one that will be monitored closely by the rest of the NBA, especially as the trade deadline approaches in February.
2) Can Malik Monk find his form?
During the 2017 NBA Draft, the Hornets chose shooting guard Malik Monk with the 11th pick in the first round. Monk was coming off an amazing season at Kentucky where he won the Player of the Year award for the Southeastern Conference, led the entire SEC in 3-point shooting and percentage, and was a consensus Second Team All-American. However, his first season with the Hornets was somewhat rocky, as he even spent some time in the middle of the season with the Greensboro Swarm (the G-League affiliate of the Hornets). Monk shot just 36 percent from the field, did not record any starts, and averaged just 6.7 points per game in 63 appearances with Charlotte last season.
While he struggled throughout his first season, he ended his rookie campaign on a high note. Former head coach Steve Clifford said, “He’s had to make bigger adjustments than most people. He’s very bright. That will determine just how soon he becomes a very good NBA player.” In Monk’s final six games with the Hornets, he showed fans why he was taken in the lottery, as he averaged 19.8 points per game in that stretch, scoring at least 17 points in each of those six games. In one of those games, a convincing 137-100 road victory over the Orlando Magic, Monk scored a career-high 26 points. Entering his sophomore season, will Monk be able to build off of his final few games from last season and emerge as a possible star?
3) How will James Borrego perform as head coach?
After five seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, the team decided to part ways with Steve Clifford. Clifford experienced surprising levels of success in his first three seasons with the Hornets, leading the team to the postseason twice (prior to his arrival, the team had made the playoffs just once since the 2001-02 season), and nearly leading the Hornets to an upset series victory over the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2015-16 postseason. However, the past two seasons have been disappointing for Charlotte, as the team finished with back-to-back seasons with a record of 36-46, missing the playoffs in both of those seasons. Clifford finished his five seasons with the Hornets with a winning percentage of .478, and with two postseason appearances in five years.
Now, the Hornets look to James Borrego to right the ship and lead the team back to the playoffs. Borrego has some head coaching experience before, as he was the interim coach for the final 30 games of the 2014-15 season for the Orlando Magic (the team went 10-20 in that stretch); however, he’s spent the past three seasons as an assistant under Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich. Borrego has spent over a decade on the coaching staff of the Spurs, as he was an assistant under Popovich from 2003-10 as well. Now, Borrego is getting his first permanent head coaching job ever, as he signed a four-year contract on May 10 to become the first Latino head coach in NBA history.
Borrego knows that implementing his system, which includes taking more 3-pointers, is going to take time. After one practice, he stated, “[This is] going to be a little uncomfortable for them. But I think once they start to feel the pace we want to play at, [and] the ball movement we want to have, it will become a little more comfortable. That takes some time.” Will Borrego be able to implement his system and get results in his first season?
4) What will Miles Bridges’ role be?
Following a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Hornets acquired Miles Bridges with the 12th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Bridges come to Charlotte following two successful seasons at Michigan State. Over his two-year career with the Spartans, Bridges averaged 17 points per game, was a consensus Second Team All-American last season and finished near the top of the Big Ten Conference in many statistical categories last year, including free throw percentage (.853; second in the conference behind Kipper Nichols of Illinois), points per game (17.1; sixth in the conference) and defensive rebounds (194; fifth in the conference).
When he played with the Hornets in the Summer League, the results were a mixed bag. While he averaged an impressive 15 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game, it came at the expense of a poor shooting performance (just 20 percent from 3-point range and 34 percent from the field). Bridges started the game on the bench for Charlotte’s preseason opener against Boston (a 104-97 victory), and will likely start the regular season on the bench as well. Lately, first round picks for the Hornets have not played a lot in their respective rookie seasons; Malik Monk did not start any games for the Hornets last year, Frank Kaminsky started just three games for the Hornets in the 2015-16 season, and Cody Zeller started just three games in the 2013-14 season. This is despite the fact that all three of those aforementioned players were taken in the lottery. Will Bridges have a significant role on the Hornets this season?
5) Does Tony Parker have anything left in the tank?
While the Hornets were not very active in free agency, their most notable move came with the acquisition of longtime Spurs guard Tony Parker, who reunites with his former assistant coach Borrego. Parker is a near-lock for the Hall of Fame at this point in his career; after getting drafted by the Spurs in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft, Parker has helped lead the Spurs to four NBA titles, has made the All-Star Game six times (most recently in the 2013-14 season), and has played the second most games in franchise history (1,198) behind Tim Duncan (1,392). Additionally, Parker leaves the Spurs as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (6,829) and won the 2007 NBA Finals MVP award. However, at 35 years old last season, Parker put up the worst numbers of his career. He started a career-low 21 games, averaged a career-worst 19.5 minutes per game, averaged a career-worst 1.7 rebounds per game, averaged a career-worst 3.5 assists per game and averaged a career-worst 7.7 points per game. On top of that, Parker had just 28 steals last season (lowest total of his career), and one block (lowest total of his career).
Parker will not start this season for Charlotte at point guard but should be a serviceable backup option to Kemba Walker at this stage in his career. Is Parker’s time in the NBA as a good point guard done, or does the 36-year-old French player have anything left in the tank to give to the Hornets? After the Hornets signed him to a two-year contract worth $10 million, the team is hoping that the latter is true.