Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets’ worst contract, Is Monk the best shooting rookie?
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
Frank Kaminsky got into a rather interesting argument on Twitter. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ worst contract, if Malik Monk is the best shooter from the 2017 rookie class and the team’s best and worst move this summer.
Hornets’ worst contract (TheSportsQuotient.com)
"Marvin Williams. With players like Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky ahead of him on the depth chart, it is hard to see him living up to his $14 million a year price tag Charlotte owes him."
While this article gives Marvin some unfair criticism regarding his defensive ability, he probably does have the worst contract on Charlotte’s roster. Considering that he’s the third highest paid players behind Dwight Howard and Nicolas Batum and ahead of Kemba Walker, it’s safe to say he is a bit overpaid. Still, he is the leader of the team and has been a defensive anchor for them over the past couple of years.
Surprisingly, the Hornets got Williams at a discount when they signed him to a massive deal last summer. Other teams around the league were willing to give the veteran more than what Charlotte did after his career season. Their second worst contract is arguably MKG’s because his $13 million salary doesn’t match his offensive output or lack there of.
Is Malik Monk the best shooting rookie? (SI.com)
"BEST SHOOTER: MALIK MONK, HORNETS. Few players in this draft can score like Monk, and his proficiency from deep plays a huge part in that."
There are a number of great shooters from the 2017 NBA Draft Class including Luke Kennard, Lauri Markkanen, Markelle Fultz and T.J. Leaf. Malik’s production against top level teams in college and his ability to score in multiple ways puts him over other rookies. There’s a good chance that Charlotte got a steal with the best shooter in the draft at 11th overall.
Monk shot 39.7% from beyond the arc during his one year at Kentucky as he made 104 total three’s. He made the 21st most three’s during the 2016-17 college season. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 6’3 guard shoots over 40% from three throughout his career.
Charlotte’s best and worst move (BleacherReport.com)
"BEST: Trading for Dwight Howard. This was a flat-out steal that could pay off in a big way. WORST: Entrusting Michael Carter-Williams with backup 1-guard responsibilities. The Hornets desperately needed to shore up the rotation behind Kemba Walker."
Next: Charlotte's top-5 guards of all-time
If signing MCW was the worst move, then failing to find a reliable third string point guard is an even worse one. Charlotte has failed to address their backup point guard problems and may very well end up in the same predicament that they were last season. Hopefully, MCW plays well and they sign a suitable emergency option before the end of free agency.