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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ Five Takeaways, Is Kemba a Top-30 Player?

By Jerry Stephens

Apr 11, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Christian Wood (35) reaches for a rebound against the Atlanta Hawks in the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Hornets 103-76. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Christian Wood (35) reaches for a rebound against the Atlanta Hawks in the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Hornets 103-76. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.

Today in the NBA, Indiana Pacers will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers while the San Antonio Spurs will host the Memphis Grizzlies in Game Two of their first-round playoff series. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at five takeaways from the Charlotte Hornets‘ season, Kemba Walker being a top-30 player in the league and Roy Hibbert‘s forgettable year as a three-teamer.

Five Takeaways From the Hornets’ Season (Courier-Tribune.com)

"The Hornets’ starting lineup underwent some shuffling early on in the season. However, Clifford eventually found a consistent group in Nic Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Walker, Williams and Cody Zeller. Charlotte rolled out that starting lineup in 45 games, going 26-19. Among five-man lineups that played more than 500 minutes together, that one ranked fourth in net points (+93)."

Defensive drop-off, close games, lack of reinforcements, an emerging all-star and continuity were the five takeaways. While they are all important notes, the last one is the most surprising. Injuries decimated the Hornets’ starting lineup as Cody Zeller missed 20 games this season. Despite that, having him with the starting five completely changed the team.

If the starting unit could’ve stayed healthy all season, it’s safe to say that Charlotte would’ve had a better record and probably would’ve made the playoffs. With those numbers, it’s safe to say that the starting lineup wasn’t the main problem for the team. Three of those other takeaways address why the Hornets’ struggled.

Is Kemba Walker a Top-30 Player in the NBA? (BleacherReport.com)

"There was a brief midseason lull before the All-Star break during which Kemba Walker looked fatigued. The weight of carrying the Charlotte Hornets offense, which is wholly dependent on his pick-and-roll prowess, was too much and slowed him down on both ends."

Bleacher Report ranked the Hornets’ All-Star as the 27th best player in the league. He was also the 10th highest point guard on the list. Kemba came in ahead of some other stars like Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan and Bradley Beal. Even though we know how good Walker is, it is still strange seeing him as a true star in the NBA and getting the respect he deserves.

Expect Kemba to continue climbing the list if his game can take another step forward next season like it has each of the last two years. There is no doubt that Walker is a top-30 player as his numbers support that. While he is still ways away from being a top-10 player, he is closer to that mark than ever before.

Roy Hibbert’s Forgettable Season as a Three-Teamer (FanSided.com)

"History will probably forget this three-teamer, so let us remember this now: in three February weeks in Milwaukee, Hibbert did not appear in a single game for the team."

Next: Rich Cho Has His Work Cut Out For Him

The veteran big man started the season with the Hornets then was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks with Spencer Hawes in exchange for Miles Plumlee near the trade deadline. After that, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets where he closed out the year. Despite playing for three team’s, none of Hibbert’s stints were memorable. Roy’s time in Charlotte was filled with plenty of injuries. Briante Weber, who ended the year with the Hornets, also was with three teams this season.

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