Charlotte Hornets: Jeremy Lamb shines in preseason opener
Jeremy Lamb was arguably the Charlotte Hornets’ most impressive player in the team’s first preseason game against the Boston Celtics.
Even though Jeremy Lamb didn’t start in the Charlotte Hornets‘ preseason opener, he did manage to have a positive impact. The shooting guard finished the game with a team-high 17 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Even more impressive, he managed to shoot 60% from the field, 50% from three and did not commit a single turnover.
Despite the team’s struggles as a whole, Lamb was a bright spot for Charlotte. He was tied for second in minutes with Nicolas Batum, Dwight Howard and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist but his production was superior to the starters. Although he is only 6’5, Jeremy was second on the team in rebounds and just two behind Howard.
The 25-year old led the Hornets’ second unit and was mostly used as a primary ball handler when Kemba Walker and Nic Batum exited the game. That’s why it’s worth noting that he took care of the ball on a night when Charlotte committed an uncharacteristically high 19 turnovers.
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With Malik Monk being drafted coupled with Dwayne Bacon‘s summer league emergence, there was some speculation surrounding Lamb and his role with the team going forward. Although, if Jeremy continues to play well, he could solidify the sixth man role as his own for Charlotte this year.
He averaged a career-high 9.7 points per game last season but shot only 28.1% from the three-point line. If he can hit double-figure scoring on a nightly basis and shoot better from deep, Lamb could see more minutes and an expanded role under Steve Clifford.
Against the Boston Celtics, Jeremy showed an ability to control the offense as the second unit actually played better than the starters for long stretches of the game. He looked good in pick and rolls, he took good shots and didn’t force anything. We’ll see if the bench continues to play through Lamb for the rest of the preseason.
The former UCONN star is entering his sixth year in the NBA and looks to be taking his game to the next level. Coach Clifford and other players on the team have taken notice of Lamb’s improvements this summer. Kemba said that Jeremy was in the gym every single day and Walker expects him to be a “spark plug.” Stephen Silas added that the wing will be a “solid backup player” for the team. (Twitter/ @Hornets)
Based on his teammates and coaches’ evaluations and the work he’s put in, there’s no reason as to why Jeremy Lamb shouldn’t be able to improve his game even more and have yet another career year in 2017-18. These exhibition games will be important for his confidence going into the team’s opener against Detroit on October 18th.
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Jeremy has been an intriguing player since entering the league but has never broken through the way most expected. Maybe this is the year where he finally comes into his own and possibly gets in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year Award. Obviously, that is a longshot and the best case scenario but he if Lamb can carry this momentum throughout the rest of the preseason and into the regular season, it’s not out of the question.