Charlotte Hornets: Nicolas Batum’s injury puts added pressure on Kemba Walker
With Nicolas Batum out for at least six weeks, the Charlotte Hornets will be forced to rely heavily on the brilliance of Kemba Walker.
Even more so than usual, Kemba Walker will be asked to carry the Charlotte Hornets‘ offense through large stretches while his backcourt partner is out. Nicolas Batum suffered a torn ligament in his left elbow in the team’s second preseason game which could mean that he will miss anywhere from six to 12 weeks and possibly more if surgery is needed.
As a result, other players will be forced to step up in order to fill the void Nic left. Not only is Batum the Hornets’ second-highest paid player this year but he is arguably their second best player as well. Steve Clifford already made it clear that Jeremy Lamb would fill in for the France international in the starting lineup but that doesn’t mean the pressure will be squarely placed on the 25-year old.
The pressure is on the whole team. The expectation was for Charlotte to get back to the postseason in a weakened Eastern Conference this year. Failing to make the playoffs could mean that GM Rich Cho and head coach Steve Clifford could be fired after the season and multiple changes could be made to the roster in terms of players being traded.
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After being an All-Star last year and being the Hornets’ best player, Kemba Walker will need to put Charlotte on his back until Nicolas returns. Lamb, Malik Monk, Dwight Howard and everyone else will need to step up as well but most of the pressure will fall on the shoulders of the point guard.
Steve Clifford’s offensive is predicated on Nic’s ball-handling ability and creativity. Batum averaged 15.1 points per game (2nd on team), 5.9 assists per game (1st on team) and 6.2 rebounds per game (fourth on team). Without him, Jeremy Lamb will take over as the secondary ball handler alongside Kemba but he hasn’t shown the same capability that Nicolas has. That means we should expect Walker to handle the ball a majority of the time.
Even though that was already the case when Batum was healthy, Nic would allow Kemba to play off the ball at times. For however long the 28-year old will be out, I think it will be rare to see Walker play off the ball with Lamb as the focal point of the offense.
In the five games that Nicolas missed in 2016-17, Kemba struggled as he only put up 19.8 PPG and 5.8 APG while shooting only 40% from the field and 32.4% from three. Even though his assists were up 0.3, his numbers and shooting efficiency were down across the board. It’s clear that without Batum, Walker doesn’t have the same production.
Batum’s versatility will be almost impossible to replace but if Dwight Howard can return to near all-star form, that will be a big help. Malik Monk will be another key player while Batum is out. The Hornets’ first-round pick will be the team’s sixth man and be the main offensive option for the second unit.
Although we’ve seen Kemba Walker carry this team for the past couple years, how much more can he do for the Charlotte Hornets? He’s already upped his scoring and efficiency but he will likely have to take another step forward to make up for the loss of Nicolas Batum.
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The quicker Nic returns, the better but they should be hoping for the best and be expecting the worst with the seriousness of his injury. If nothing else, this is just another test for Kemba who has thrived under pressure before and it will most likely lead to yet another all-star appearance for Walker. It will be interesting to see how Charlotte’s Batman does without Robin.