Swarm and Sting
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Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ Most Promising Prospect, Finding Value in Weber

By Jerry Stephens

Mar 20, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) and Charlotte Hornets forward center Cody Zeller (40) tip off the game at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Dwight Howard (8) and Charlotte Hornets forward center Cody Zeller (40) tip off the game at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Buzz City Beat is a daily roundup of the latest and greatest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.

The Charlotte Hornets picked up their second straight win as they were able to blow out the Atlanta Hawks in their last outing. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at Frank Kaminsky being the team’s most promising prospect, the front office finding value in Briante Weber/ Johnny O’Bryant and Cat Barber pursuing his NBA dream.

Hornets’ Most Promising Prospect (BleacherReport.com)

"Frank Kaminsky gets some love here by default. The Charlotte Hornets are shockingly thin on worthwhile developmental projects. To Kaminsky’s credit, he’s starting to play like one."

There aren’t a lot of players to choose from for this title on the Hornets’ roster but with that being said, Kaminsky is slowly looking more and more like a promising player. Although he is a bit too old to be a true prospect, Frank has shown signs of development this season which gives hope to fans. Even though the big man had unfair expectations placed on him because of the situation surrounding his draft selection, Kaminsky has proven to be a solid player so far in his NBA career.

While he will never grow into a star, Frank can be a consistent contributor off of the bench. The more intriguing part about this is that Charlotte lacks any real prospects on their team. That is a bit of a problem but at least Kaminsky can be labeled as a promising prospect.

Finding Value in Weber and O’Bryant (HoopsHabit.com)

"One bright spot in the constant roster uncertainty this season has been opportunity for players such as Briante Weber and Johnny O’Bryant. Out of necessity the Hornets have had to dig for players from the D-League and off waivers."

Charlotte can’t draft all that well but they did a great job of identifying Weber and O’Bryant as players with upside. Both have shown their value and did enough to secure multi-year contracts with the team. So while the Hornets didn’t add a player through the draft this past summer, they have added two prospects to their depth chart in Briante and Johnny this season.

Only time will tell but Charlotte could have found diamonds in the rough with each of these players. It isn’t always easy to find contributors or even value in the D-League or off waivers but the Hornets were able to do just that. In Weber, they even found a solid backup point guard.

Cat Barber Pursues NBA Dream (Scout.com)

"His game has clearly developed in the NBA D-League this season. “It is just picking my spots,” Barber said. “It is picking out spots and working out to where I can see guys open. I am getting my points when I can but it is a matter of doing what I can and taking what they give.”"

Next: Hornets Making the Most of 10-Day Deals

Since coming back to North Carolina and joining the Greensboro Swarm, Barber has picked up his game by averaging 18.0 points per game and 5.5 assists per game in 14 outings with his new team. It isn’t surprising that he is fitting in so well because Cat is a player the Hornets had on their radar before the draft this past summer as he worked out for the team so it’s clear that they thought he would fit their system. Even though his NBA dream hasn’t yet materialized, this season in the D-League was a step closer and in the right direction for the point guard.

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