Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets unlikely hero, Another step forward for Kemba
Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the latest news and stories from around the web about the Charlotte Hornets.
For the first time this season, Michael Carter-Williams (knee soreness) has been upgraded from OUT to QUESTIONABLE on the injury report ahead of the team’s four-game road trip. In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at the Charlotte Hornets‘ unlikely hero, Kemba Walker taking another step forward in his development this season and how Steve Clifford has revitalized Dwight Howard.
Hornets unlikely hero (BasketballInsiders.com)
"Ever since leaving the Orlando Magic, Howard hasn’t come close to his once dominant peak. A change of scenery to the Queen City may have sparked the former All-Star to another level. Howard is averaging 14.9 rebounds to start the campaign – which would be a career-high if he can sustain the pace."
The resurrection of Dwight Howard has been a pleasant surprise for Charlotte. His rebounding and dominant play down low is a breath of fresh air for Steve Clifford’s side who haven’t had that type of player since Al Jefferson and even then, Big Al wasn’t the same monster that Dwight is on defense and the glass. The real question is if Howard can continue his stellar play throughout the season.
I would also nominate Jeremy Lamb as an unexpected hero for the Hornets. His 17.0 points per game are second most on the team and he is filling in admirably for the injured Nicolas Batum. It will be interesting to see what his role becomes once Nic returns. The 25-year old looks like he is finally living up to the hype that surrounded him when he was drafted 12th overall back in 2012 and a key part in the James Harden to Houston trade.
Kemba is taking another step forward (Sports.VICE.com)
"Walker is playing with an unseen self-belief that’s steadily elevating his game even higher than last year’s All-Star campaign showed it could go. Taming a tiger is less complicated than corralling him off a high screen right now. He’s a virtual lock to make his second-straight All-Star team."
The article equates Kemba’s 2017-18 season to the year that Isaiah Thomas had in 2016-17 meaning that Walker could be entering the “Superstar” category. The Hornets’ point guard continues to up his game each season and there’s no telling what his ceiling is at this point. His scoring continues to rise along with his efficiency and his assist numbers are nearing a career-high.
At this point, a second consecutive all-star game appearance is a given for Kemba. If Charlotte can contend for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference and Walker averages career-highs in points and assists, he will surely enter a superstar-level and be mentioned among the elite point guards in the league. The development later in his career has been something special.
Reuniting with Clifford has been good for Dwight (FanRagSports.com)
"The numbers and the eye test seem to be in agreement on this: Howard’s defensive dominance is back, and it really does seem to be because Clifford knows how to use him. That partnership could be vital to the Hornets returning to the playoffs this year."
Next: Is Kaminsky ready to make the leap?
Before the season started, everyone thought Howard was going downhill. Even though the big man is past his prime, he is actually playing better with the Hornets this year than he has in the past couple season with Atlanta and Houston. Not only is Dwight’s scoring and rebounding up but he is also back to being an elite (or just below elite) level interior defender.