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Charlotte Hornets: One Area Where Each Starter Must Improve

By Jerry Stephens

Dec 26, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford talks with guard Nicolas Batum (5) and guard Kemba Walker (15) during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets defeated the Grizzlies 98-92. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford talks with guard Nicolas Batum (5) and guard Kemba Walker (15) during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets defeated the Grizzlies 98-92. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 28, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) drive past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half of the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 106-101. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) drive past Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half of the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Warriors win 106-101. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /

PG: Kemba Walker – Playmaking

Shooting Percentages: 46.2% FG/ 41.4% 3P/ 83.1% FT

Season Stats: 39 GP, 39 GS, 22.9 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.2 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 33.8 MPG

Kemba Walker is enjoying a career year for the Hornets this season but there is still one area that is lacking in his game. We all know that he can score the ball with some of the best point guards in the league but he still lacks some playmaking ability. Not so much the ability to create open shots for himself but he struggles to get his teammates involved with open looks at times.

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His 5.4 assists per game rank 21st among point guards this season. Players like Tim Frazier, Sergio Rodriguez, and Matthew Dellavedova all average more. That isn’t a knock on those players but if Walker wants to be an all-star, he needs to get better at passing the ball, mainly, finding open teammates in a position to score.

While Kemba makes the 15th most passes made per game (59.5) in the NBA, those passes don’t result in a high number of assists. His 5.4 assists per game and 11.3 potential assists per game is the lowest mark among the top-15 players in passes made per game. That means that both his teammates aren’t finishing off passes but also that he isn’t putting his teammates in a good position to score off of his passes. (Stats from NBA.com)

If Walker can improve on his playmaking ability, to pass and not to score, then he and the team as a whole will become that much more deadly. That is the next evolution in his game but with Nicolas Batum handling the ball so much, it will be difficult to achieve. Still, it is the one spot that Kemba must work on.

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