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Charlotte Hornets: Is Ramon Sessions Better Than Jeremy Lin?

By Jerry Stephens

Feb 6, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Ramon Sessions (7) defends a pick and roll against Charlotte Hornets forward center Frank Kaminsky (44) and guard Jeremy Lin (7) during the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Ramon Sessions (7) defends a pick and roll against Charlotte Hornets forward center Frank Kaminsky (44) and guard Jeremy Lin (7) during the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
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With Jeremy Lin leaving in free agency, the Charlotte Hornets were forced to find a replacement and they did as they signed Ramon Sessions in free agency.

The Charlotte Hornets are banking on Ramon Sessions in the upcoming season as they are hoping that he can not only replace Jeremy Lin but be an improvement over him as well. This will be Sessions second stint in Charlotte after he signed a two-year, $12.3 million deal with the Hornets this offseason.

Sessions will be the heir apparent for the sixth man/back-up point guard role for Charlotte this season. He may also be asked to play alongside Kemba Walker at times as a combo guard much like Lin did last season. That should not be too difficult a task as Ramon, who is 6’3″ 190 pounds, is around the same size as Jeremy, 6’3″ 200 pounds.

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During his first stint in Charlotte, Sessions played one and a half seasons from 2012-2014. He played 61 games off of the bench his first season and averaged 14.4. points per game, 3.8 assists per game, and 2.8 rebounds per game in 27.1 minutes per game. He was later traded the next season after just 55 games.

Ramon proved to be a valuable back-up to Kemba Walker in his short time with the team. He will be looking to reignite that spark that he had off of Charlotte’s bench in the 2012-2013 season. Let’s take a look at how the stats between Sessions and Lin compared last season.

Sessions: 9.9 PPG, 2.9 APG, 2.5 RPG, 47.3% FG, 32.4% 3P, 75.6% FT, 20.3 MPG

Lin: 11.7 PPG, 3.0 APG, 3.2 RPG, 41.2% FG, 33.6% 3P, 81.5% FT, 26.3 MPG

Jeremy did have a strong season for the Hornets and he was the top player in their second unit. But that doesn’t make him irreplaceable. Even though Lin had better per game averages, Sessions put up better numbers in terms of the playing time that he got.

For example, Sessions averaged more points and assists per 36 minutes and per 100 possessions than Lin did last season. Ramon also averaged less turnovers per game, 36 min, and 100 possessions this past season. You can take a look at the comparison of the two players here at BasketballReference.com. Does this mean that Sessions is better than Lin?

Not necessarily. Although Sessions may have had better averages, Lin’s defense was crucial to the team’s success and he also made hustle plays on a nightly basis. But this also does not mean that Jeremy is better than Ramon. Lin had his struggles in Charlotte as he didn’t shoot the ball all that well and he did have some off nights whether it be to injury, misuse, or just poor play.

Sessions has a lot to prove this season and who knows how he will fit in head coach, Steve Clifford’s, system. Even though Lin just signed a giant three-year, $36 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets, Ramon may end up being the better bargain value for Charlotte. They signed him at half the price of what Jeremy got from Brooklyn and he may be a better fit and put up better numbers for the Hornets.

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Whether Sessions is an improvement over Lin or not, that is still to be determined. But he will be his replacement and Ramon will have to fill the void left by Jeremy who was a great back-up point guard for the team last season. Maybe Sessions will end up being the steal of this free agent class like many thought Lin was last season.

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