Charlotte Hornets Round Table Discussion: Player Awards
3. Toughest to Guard?
Jerry Stephens:
Kemba Walker gets my vote for toughest to guard on the Charlotte Hornets last season. His stepback jumpers and change of pace style of play made him one of the hardest players to defend in the NBA. He is one of the quickest players in the league so it is no surprise that he led the team in scoring with over 20 points per game.
Deshawn White:
Toughest to guard… Kemba wins obviously, but Jeremy Lin is probably his only challenger. Kemba is quick, has a great crossover, can shoot and can pass. I really like to think of him as the Michael Conley of the Eastern Conference because dude can really play and should’ve been an all-star, but too many other great guards keeps him a finger’s length away from that stardom. Not many other guards can keep up with him, and if they can, then he has absolutely no problem hitting that step back.
Laieke Abebe:
I think we can all agree on Kemba Walker for this one. He’s excellent at getting to the rim for his size and now that his jump shot is improving, he can keep defenders off balance. His handles are some of the most underrated at his position in the NBA and he keeps on surprising the fans.
Luke Spencer:
I’m not going against the grain with my fellow colleagues here. Kemba is arguably the fastest player in the NBA and will zip right past you or tangle your ankles in a knot if you stand flat-footed for even a second (just ask Nikola Mirotic). He will make any team yank out whoever is covering him if they allow him too much space on the floor.
What I liked from Kemba this past season was that he played very consistent basketball (which was a byproduct of playing with new teammates), he didn’t try to force the issue as he would do in the past and his step-back jumper was a real serious threat. He may not be as good of a shooter as Steph Curry or as good of a facilitator as Chris Paul, but his intangibles clearly defines the kind of player that he is. His quickness and hustle gives him an edge over many players in the NBA and I’m really looking forward to seeing his improvement this upcoming season.
Max Seng:
I’ll make this one a little more interesting. Yes in a 1-on-1 isolation setting, Kemba is near impossible to stop. He’s got the complete package and if it weren’t for the fact that point guard is far and away the deepest position in the league, he’d have an all star appearance under his belt. BUT Nicolas Batum and now departed Al Jefferson pose different problems in trying to contain them.
Batum is a swiss army knife, do-everything 6’8” swingman with a 7’4” wingspan who can shoot, attack off the dribble, pass and defend. Play up on him, and he’s going by you. Lay off him and he’s burying treys in your face. Double him and he’s finding his teammates with his vision and ability to see over the defense. Though he doesn’t have one unstoppable trait, he doesn’t have weak spots, and in today’s NBA where versatility is the name of the game, that’s a valuable quality to have.
As for professor Al Jefferson, class has been in session on the left and right block for the past decade, with homeroom being in Time Warner Cable arena for the past three seasons. Hooks, drop steps, up and unders, spins, face up jumpers, Jefferson has the whole package when he gets the ball on the block. In the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s, he’d be a perennial all-star. There’s still a place in this league for a man of Al Jefferson’s talents.
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