Buzz City Beat is Swarm and Sting’s one stop for the latest and greatest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
Dwight Howard is putting in some serious offseason work while Nicolas Batum is working out with fellow France National Team player Rudy Gobert in Paris. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at Malik Monk‘s return, the Charlotte Hornets‘ sleeper and why Kemba Walker is the 33rd best player in the NBA.
Malik Monk to return to basketball activities on August 1st (HashtagBasketball.com)
"When asked during an autograph signing when he would return, Monk, stated: “What’s today? The 29th?” He said. “I start in August. So, August 1st, I can start working out again.”"
After injuring his ankle during a pre-draft workout, it looks like the Hornets’ first round pick is finally ready to return. Monk missed out on the Orlando Pro Summer League with the injury but now he will be able to workout and practice. The most important new is that Malik will be ready for training camp with Charlotte.
It’s been over a month since the draft and probably about 6-8 weeks since the Kentucky product originally suffered the injury. The team didn’t want to risk playing him in the summer league so they held him out of all five games. The first time we will see him is during the preseason.
Who is the Hornets’ fantasy sleeper? (RealSport101.com)
"But for some reason, Williams continues to get passed by in many drafts and is consistently available as a late-round pick. He is currently holding down the starting power forward position in Charlotte, and we should expect him to do the same next season."
Marvin Williams might be the most underrated player on Charlotte’s roster. In terms of fantasy basketball, the 31-year old is a reliable and consistent option. He may not be a big time scorer or a double-double machine but he does a little bit of everything and that is valuable for both fantasy and the Hornets.
While Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum and Dwight Howard will be the first players drafted in fantasy basketball from the team as they are the big point getters. Malik Monk could also be considered a sleeper but he may not get enough minutes to be as relevant as Williams. Cody Zeller was arguably the team’s sleeper last season but since he is no longer starting, that label goes to Marvin.
Why Kemba Walker is the NBA’s 33rd best player (TheSportsPost.com)
"If this is the new normal, we have to completely reconsider our opinions on Kemba Walker. If he is going to score 23 efficient points per game with real three-point range, even doing nothing else (which he really doesn’t) he’s an automatic All-Star in the East."
Next: Why Paige is the best option for Charlotte
At first glance, this ranking seems rather low for Kemba. Although the full list hasn’t been released on this site, I think Walker is better than #33. Kevin Love comes in just ahead of the Hornets’ all-star point guard and in my opinion, Kemba is significantly better than the Cavs’ big man. Walker is arguably a top-25 player in the NBA.