Charlotte Hornets Rumors: Team to Sign Johnny O’Bryant III to 10-Day Contract
With Mike Tobey‘s 10-day contract expiring and the Charlotte Hornets’ frontcourt wearing thin, the team is set to sign Johnny O’Bryant III to a 10-day deal.
According to D-League expert Chris Reichert of The Step Back, “The Charlotte Hornets are signing Johnny O’Bryant III from the NAZ Suns to a 10-day contract, per a league source.” With multiple injuries and Mike Tobey’s 10-day deal expiring, it makes sense for the team to add a big man to their current squad. Even though he will only be on a 10-day contract, it is very likely that J.O.B. III will get some playing time under Steve Clifford.
After trying out Tobey, a rookie from the Hornets’ D-League team, they decided to give the veteran O’Bryant a deal. The 23-year old is in his third NBA season after spending his first two with the Milwaukee Bucks in a limited role. Johnny has already spent some time in the league this season on a couple of 10-day deals with the Denver Nuggets.
Charlotte’s starting center in Cody Zeller and backup in Miles Plumlee are both currently dealing with injuries. While Zeller could return soon from a quad contusion, the Hornets still need a backup because Plumlee is set to be out a few weeks with a calf strain. Even though O’Bryant is more of a power forward, he, at the very least, adds frontcourt depth to a thin front line.
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The former LSU Tiger was originally drafted by the Bucks as the sixth pick in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. His career hasn’t quite panned out but J.O.B. is still young enough to find a new home, make a name for himself and turn his career around. Maybe the Queen City will be the place for that.
In 107 career games, the 6’9 power forward is averaging 3.0 points per game and 2.3 rebounds per game in 11.9 minutes per game. He is only a 39.8% shooter from the field for his career but has proven to knock down a few three’s, making three of four shots from downtown in three years. In only seven games with Denver this season, O’Bryant averaged 2.9 PPG and 1.6 RPG.
While his numbers might not be great, Johnny has been putting up some big time stats in the D-League with the NAZ Suns. In 24 games with the Phoenix Suns‘ D-League affiliate, O’Bryant averaged 18.5 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 46% from the field and 38% from three. The Hornets will be hoping that he can make the most of this opportunity and help the team out by being a productive addition.
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It will be interesting to see how much run O’Bryant gets with the Charlotte Hornets during his 10-day stint. Furthermore, will the team end up signing him to a second 10-day contract or even for the remainder of the season if he plays well? With their current form, the Hornets could use any sort of spark to help them out and maybe Johnny will be able to provide just that.