Charlotte Hornets: Second round pick Dwayne Bacon is proving to be an ideal rookie

Rookie Dwayne Bacon is taking everything in stride and learning the ropes of the NBA as he’s been a surprise contributor to the Charlotte Hornets.

When the Charlotte Hornets drafted/traded for the draft rights to Dwayne Bacon, few expected him to have an instant impact on the team but after an impressive summer league and preseason, he has become a key player early in the year. While he isn’t scoring 20+ points per game or grabbing double-double’s, the rookie is filling an important role. Based on his production and where he was selected, it’s safe to say he is one of the steals of the 2017 draft class.

Although he isn’t setting the world on fire with his play, he is a consistent contributor and a surprising one at that. Bacon wasn’t expected to see as many minutes as he has this early in the season. Considering the depth Charlotte had at shooting guard and small forward, Dwayne probably wasn’t expecting to even break into the rotation this early in his career.

But with the unexpected passing of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist‘s grandmother, the Hornets have been without their starting small forward for seven of their first 11 games of the 2017-18 campaign. Couple that with the injury to Nicolas Batum that’s forced Jeremy Lamb into the starting lineup, it leaves the Hornets rather thin at the wing positions.

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In an unlikely move, Steve Clifford chose to insert second-round pick and rookie Dwayne Bacon into the starting three spot ahead of fellow rookie Malik Monk and second-year pro Treveon Graham. Don’t get it twisted though, the FSU product earned the right to start for Charlotte and he is rewarding Steve Clifford’s faith and trust with consistent play.

The reason why Bacon is an ideal rookie is that of his composure. Despite being thrown into the fire, he plays within himself and doesn’t try to overthink things. He doesn’t turn the ball over, he doesn’t take bad shots and he lets the game come to him. He doesn’t try to do too much and he plays hard on both ends of the court.

He plays his game. He attacks the rim, makes open shots and relies on his athletic ability and strength to finish in the paint.

Because of that, Dwayne’s earned a spot in Steve Clifford’s rotation. The 22-year old has made six starts and is averaging 6.0 points per game, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 37.5% from three. Bacon was not a great three-point shooter in college but he has surprised many with his ability to shoot the ball from deep at the NBA level. His defense was also a concern heading into the draft but under Steve Clifford, the rookie has been engaged on that end.

He’s has a few big games putting up 11 rebounds against the Hawks, 10 points versus the Bucks and an 18-point, seven rebound performance against the Spurs. Like every rookie ever, he’s had his fair share of ups and downs but his play has been promising to say the least. Aside from Kyle Kuzma and Dillon Brooks, Bacon has been the most unexpected breakout rookie so far this season.

Steve Clifford has been the first to give Dwayne high praise. The 40th overall pick has been willing to listen to his veteran teammates and learn which is probably a big reason why he is succeeding. Here’s some advice that Lamb gave him during the preseason.

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So far, Dwayne Bacon has played the eighth most minutes of any rookie, 12th most points and sixth most rebounds. While I don’t think this level of production will continue because of MKG and Nic Batum returning, the rookie has proved that he belongs in the NBA and will probably be a role player off of the Charlotte Hornets in the near future.

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