Welcome to Buzz City Beat, a daily roundup of the best articles from around the internet surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
Riding a four-game win streak, the Queen City team has a 64% chance to beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. (FiveThirtyEight.com) In this edition of Buzz City Beat, we look at how Charlotte Hornets‘ point guard Kemba Walker made himself into a success story, Cody Zeller possibly being shut down for the rest of the season and Dwayne Bacon picking up steam.
Kemba made himself into an NBA success story (CharlottePost.com)
"Said coach Steve Clifford: “He is not a super talent now for this league. He’s small. He’s self-made. Even in this league now, it’s not like he is this incredible athlete with length. He has good speed and quickness, but certainly his work ethic has been the thing that has made him such a good player.”"
Walker’s incredible work ethic has always been praised by coaches and fellow players. The 6’1, 172-pound point guard isn’t the strong player at his position or the most athletic yet he always finds a way to get open shots and finish in traffic. The biggest step that he made was improving his three-point shot. After shooting only 30.5% from deep in his rookie season, Kemba has now shot just under 40% for the past two years.
That improvement is the main reason why he’s made back-to-back all-star games and propelled himself into the conversation of being one of the top guards in the NBA. Jeremy Lamb said that Kemba “always wants to get better” and Steve Clifford added that “all the great ones improve.” There’s a good chance that Walker will go down as the greatest Charlotte Hornets’ player of all-time.
Cody Zeller may be shut down (CBSsports.com)
"Zeller has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers and acknowledged that he could need several weeks of rest before the soreness and swelling in his left knee is no longer an issue."
There was originally strong hope that Cody would play before the end of the season but that is looking less and less likely with each passing day. His left knee continues to be a problem. The swelling had originally gone away but a setback occurred when it returned last week. It’s unclear how long it will be until he returns to action.
Zeller is still “hopeful” that he will play again this campaign. If he does return, it may only be for the final couple games or so. He’s already missed 42 games (more than half of the season) so far this year. Willy Hernangomez will serve as the Hornets’ backup center until Cody returns.
Dwayne Bacon picking up steam (HoopsHabit.com)
"Another player who’s been on a hot streak in his last five games is Dwayne Bacon. Bacon is averaging 10.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in the Hornets’ last five contests. He’s seen an uptick in his minutes per game. On the season, he’s averaging 12.8 minutes per contest but in the last five, he’s at 25.6 minutes per game."
Looking at the Week 24 NBA rookie power rankings, neither Malik Monk or Dwayne Bacon made the cut for the top-10 but the Hornets’ second-round pick did get an honorable mention. The Florida State product has taken advantage of the extra minutes he’s been receiving. In the last six games, he’s had two outings with 15 points and one with a career-high five assists.
Next: Why Sam Hinkie would be perfect for Charlotte
Although he isn’t setting the world on fire, Bacon has been a solid contributor for Charlotte and a key part of their four-game win streak. If he can continue to play this well to close out the regular-season, there’s a good chance that he will be a regular rotation player for the team next year.