Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets head coach praises Ben Simmons, Treveon Graham continues to grow

Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.

After losing to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Charlotte Hornets‘ playoff chances dropped from 27% to just 20%. (FiveThirtyEight.com) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at Steve Clifford comparing Ben Simmons to LeBron James, Treveon Graham‘s continued growth and the Greensboro Swarm’s loss to the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Steve Clifford praises Ben Simmons (SLAMOnline.com)

"Sixers point guard Ben Simmons put up 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in a 110-99 win over Charlotte on Friday. Before the game, Hornets coach Steve Clifford compared the 21-year-old, who has lit up the League in his “rookie” season, to a young LeBron James."

Ben has been compared to LeBron since he was in college but this is still high praise from the Hornets’ head coach. Much like James, Simmons can impact the game in many ways like scoring, rebounding, assisting and defending. The only part of the rookie’s game that is of some concern is his lack of shooting ability but that should get better as he has more time to develop his shot.

While I think comparing him to LeBron is a bit of a stretch, there is no doubt that Simmons is a special player. He will be an all-star for years to come but it will take a lot to actually rival the career that James has had. Still, he is having a great first season in the league and is probably already better than every Charlotte player not named Kemba Walker.

Treveon Graham continues to blossom (Richmond.com)

"“No matter where I am, I’m going to play hard,” Graham said before the Hornets’ Feb. 23 game at the Washington Wizards. “I’m going to make mistakes, but at least I’m going to play as hard as I can when I’m out there. So that’s just something that carried through all through college, and now in the NBA.”"

Steve Clifford speaks very highly of Graham saying that “he’s very reliable” and that he “feels comfortable” when Treveon is in the game. The Hornets’ wing player is having a career season this year averaging 4.7 points per game and 2.1 rebounds. He’s taken the next step in his second campaign with Charlotte and continues to make his impact felt as a role player.

The biggest growth in his game has been his three-point shooting. After only making nine three’s in 15 attempts last season, Graham has made 36 in 81 attempts this year. Of players with more than four attempts from beyond the arc this season, Treveon has the highest three-point percentage on the team at 44.4%. He’s only getting better but with limited cap space this summer, the Hornets could have a hard time re-signing him if another team comes in with a better offer.

Swarm fall to Sioux Falls Skyforce (Gleague.NBA.com)

"The Sioux Falls Skyforce ran away from the Greensboro Swarm in the second half of Friday night’s 121-107 victory at the Sanford Pentagon. The Skyforce (23-18) have now won five-straight games on their home floor, and have now won nine of their last 12 games."

Next: Dwight Howard wants to finish his career in Charlotte

Despite a 26-point performance from Damien Wilkins, Greensboro was unable to get the victory over Briante Weber and the Skyforce. The former Hornets’ guard put up 25 points, four rebounds and four assists. The Swarm have now lost four straight games but will look to bounce back during their upcoming three-game homestand.