Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets Make History, Where Batum Ranks Among Shooting Guards
Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the newest articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
The Charlotte Hornets‘ push towards the playoff continued to roll as they picked up their third consecutive victory with an 113-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at how the team made history in OKC, where Nicolas Batum ranks among shooting guards and Patrick Ewing to interview for Georgetown’s head coaching job.
Hornets Make History in OKC (CharlotteObserver.com)
"Kemba Walker scored 29 points to help Charlotte overcome Russell Westbrook’s sixth straight triple-double to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 113-101 on Sunday. It was the Hornets’ first win in Oklahoma City, a place where they’d been 0-8."
Not only did Charlotte pick up their first ever in in OKC but they also swept the season series against the Thunder for the first time in franchise history. The Hornets haven’t had the greatest success over the past almost decade against Oklahoma City but this year was a different story. Since the Thunder began to play in OKC during the 2008-09 season, Charlotte’s only 4-13 against them. (LandOfBasketball.com)
Prior to this season, the Hornets had lost 11 straight games against the Thunder. Considering that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have dominated most of the league in previous seasons, it makes sense that Charlotte can now beat OKC since KD left. Still, they made history and it shouldn’t be overlooked.
Where Nic Batum Ranks Among Shooting Guards in the NBA (BleacherReport.com)
"But in 2016-17, Batum has regressed in plenty of different areas. He’s still retained his all-around value by virtue of his versatility, wingspan-aided defense and willingness to do the little things, but an off-kilter shot has hampered his stardom. Shooting just 40.0 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from downtown forces him to keep sliding down the rankings, to the point that he’s on the verge of moving behind Gary Harris and out of the top 10."
Even with his regression this season, Bleacher Report still ranks Batum as a top-10 player at his position. Coming in just ahead of Gary Harris and just behind Dwyane Wade, Nic sits firmly at the 10 spot. You could argue that the 28-year old is better (and putting up better numbers) than the next four guys ahead of him.
With Wade, Jrue Holiday, Patrick Beverley and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all ahead of Batum, there is a legit argument to be made that the Hornets’ shooting guard is possibly a top-six shooting guard. That seems strange to say considering the down year that Nic’s having.
Patrick Ewing to Interview for Georgetown Job (ESPN.com)
"Charlotte Hornets associate head coach Patrick Ewing will meet Monday with Georgetown officials about the Hoyas’ coaching vacancy, league sources have confirmed to ESPN. The Hornets play Tuesday night in Washington against the Wizards, affording Ewing the chance to meet directly with school officials."
Next: Kemba Doing Everything to Carry Charlotte
Ewing to Georgetown rumors seem to be growing by the day First he was just considered, then he was a “major candidate” and now it looks like a formal interview is being set up. All signs are pointing to Patrick becoming the next head coach at his alma mater. He is regarded as one of the top assistants in the NBA so it wouldn’t be surprising if the interview went well.