Charlotte Hornets: Is Frank Kaminsky ready to make the leap?

Frank Kaminsky has slowly improved over his first couple years in the NBA but is the Charlotte Hornets’ big man ready to take the next step this season?

The past few seasons the best thing about Frank Kaminsky‘s game was his shared nickname with Will Ferrell’s character  ‘Frank the Tank’ from the classic bro comedy Old School. Unfortunately, a fantastic nickname does not always translate to fantastic on-court play in the NBA. Sure you have your outliers:

• The Greek Freak is both a fantastic NBA nickname and the early season front-runner for MVP
• The Unicorn is on an offensive tear to start the season for the Knicks
• Hoodie Melo has adjusted well to life in OKC.

But in spite of the all-time great nickname, on-court success has been highly inconsistent for Frank the first few years of his young career.

While still early in the season Frank appears ready for his on-court play to make a leap. With new found aggression, a more consistent outside shot and increased attention to rebounding the on-court returns are beginning to pay off. Clearly, the Hornets agree that Frank is ready to take the next step as well as they have already exercised the option on his contract.

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Now in his third year, Kaminsky continues to see his scoring average steadily rise as he adjusts to the pace of the NBA game. The addition of Dwight Howard has allowed Kaminsky to play away from the basket where his unique skill set allows him to drive past bigger, slower posts and shoot over smaller defenders.

With Jeremy Lamb, Kemba Walker, and Marvin Williams keeping defenses honest with their three-point shooting and Howard taking up space in the lane; Kaminsky is able to operate within the midrange where is game flourished at Wisconsin.

Frank has always been a threat from three but it is in the midrange where he can post smaller players, drive past bigger defenders or pick and pop that has seen his game show signs of new life.

Kaminsky was never going to be an above average post or league leading rebounder, but given the right fit and scheme, the tools have always been there for him to be a valuable member of an NBA team.

Next: Has Superman Dwight Howard returned?

The Hornets invested in the production Frank is just now beginning to show and the nickname came with it. If Kaminsky keeps up this production for the entire season his game will finally live up to the name.