How Michael Carter-Williams can work for the Charlotte Hornets

Michael Carter-Williams was once the NBA’s rookie of the year. Here’s how he can return to those graces with the Charlotte Hornets.

ESPN broke the news of Michael Carter-Williams signing early on July 1st as free agency began. The Charlotte Hornets and Carter-Williams agreed on a 1 year, 2.7 million dollar deal, and Carter-Williams will likely fill the backup point guard role left open after the Hornets declined to pick up Ramon Sessions’ 6.3 million team option.

The 6’6″ Syracuse product once won the Rookie of the Year award, but those days are behind him. His numbers have consistently declined since he joined the league, which is a very telling sign of his demise. After averaging only 6.6 points and 2.5 assists, Carter-Williams needs to revitalize his career.

The key for Carter-Williams to return to form is going to be his fit within the Charlotte offense. Last season in Chicago, Carter-Williams found himself integrated into lineups as a secondary ball handler, mostly to Dwyane Wade or Jerian Grant. Previously, Carter-Williams found himself as a manufacturer within the confines of the Milwaukee and Philadelphia offenses.

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MCW will likely return to a primary ball-handler role with the Hornets bench unit, possibly comprised of himself, Malik Monk, Jeremy Lamb, Kaminsky, and Zeller.  There he will be able to do what he does best: penetrate and facilitate.

Watching his highlights, it’s clear to see that when the court is well-spaced and he can get a sliver of room, he is a successful player. It’s very imaginable to see Carter-Williams and Zeller pick and rolls surrounded by spot up shooters or slashers in Lamb, Graham, and Kaminsky.

Defensively, Carter-Williams works well with fellow Hornets as well. The same highlight video is chock full of passes and dribbles being stolen for easy fast break dunks and lay-ups. Paired with the shooting of Monk, the length of Lamb, and the rim protection of Zeller, this lineup should be tough to score on.

It’s not all roses though. Carter-Williams isn’t a perfect creator off the bounce and has averaged 3.7 turnovers per 36 minutes for his career.  Additionally, if Carter-Williams is not handling the ball, he is effectively relegated to an off-ball cutter, as he poses no threat from the outside.

A big question for Steve Clifford will be how the transition from Sessions to Carter-Williams takes place. Sessions was more of a shooter off the dribble from midrange and three, and Carter-Williams almost exclusively scores at the rim. It’ll be interesting to see if more plays are drawn up to specifically attack the rim instead of pulling up.

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Holistically, the Carter-Williams signing isn’t bad. It’s only a one-year deal, so it comes off the books soon, and it’s very cheap. As long as Carter-Williams is surrounded by the proper personnel, which is likely considering the roster surrounding him, it’s easy to imagine him as a better option than Sessions was. If MCW can utilize his especially effective length as well on the defensive end, the signing could prove to be a good one.