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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ MVP Candidate, Marvin Williams is Back

By Jerry Stephens

Jan 7, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford gives direction to his team against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford gives direction to his team against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Charlotte Hornets are coming off of a blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs as they have now dropped three straight road games. Despite the team’s struggles, there are a few positives in their recent outings. In this edition, we look at Kemba Walker as an MVP Candidate, Marvin Williams returning to form, and Marco Belinelli‘s struggles since returning from injury.

Walker Just Outside the Top-10 in MVP Race

“Next five (listed alphabetically): DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings; Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans; Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies; Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors; Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets” (NBA.com)

After a strong showing to start the season, Kemba was up to as high as eighth on the MVP Ladder from Sekou Smith of NBA.com. He has dropped off a bit and Walker is probably on the verge of dropping out of the MVP conversation completely. While he doesn’t really have a chance to win the award because of the play of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, it is encouraging to see his name being mentioned among the best.

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Marvin Has Regained His Form

“His struggles early in the season were troublesome given his new contract, but his play since his return is more reminiscent of last year’s play. For that reason alone, his more recent stretch of games seems more sustainable than his cold stretch to start the year. His improved lift after his return from injury also indicates that his early season play may have been the outlier.” (HoopsHabit.com)

Williams’ poor start to the season was a topic of conversation because of the huge contract that the team gave him this past summer. Luckily, it seems as though he is turning things around and looking more like the player that earned the four-year, $54.5 million deal. This is important because the Hornets need Marvin to perform at his best if they are going to compete in the postseason.

Belinelli Struggling to Find His Shot After Injury

“With Nicolas Batum (knee) sidelined, Belinelli played 26 minutes off the bench. He was outproduced by Jeremy Lamb who got the start and played 28 minutes. Belinelli continues to struggle with his shot since returning from injury, hitting just 3-of-30 field goals in his last three games. That being said, so long as Batum is out, Belinelli should continue to see a boost in minutes.” (RotoWorld.com)

Next: Five Reasons Why Kemba is an All-Star

Marco was one of the Charlotte Hornets’ most consistent players and a constant scoring threat off the bench. Since his injury, he has not looked the same. It will take some time for him to be completely healthy and find his rhythm again but for the time being, his shot is off. Hopefully, he can shoot himself out of this recent slump.

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