Swarm and Sting
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Charlotte Hornets: Was Miles Bridges the right pick?

By Noah Driver

CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 14: Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22) dribbles the ball during the State Farm Classic Champions Classic game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Michigan State Spartans on November 14, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 14: Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22) dribbles the ball during the State Farm Classic Champions Classic game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Michigan State Spartans on November 14, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 12: Lonnie Walker IV #18 of the San Antonio Spurs goes to the basket against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 12, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 12: Lonnie Walker IV #18 of the San Antonio Spurs goes to the basket against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 12, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Lonnie Walker IV (#18)

The good:

-Could be a natural scoring threat in the NBA.

-Explosive guard with great length, could probably guard 3 positions if his IQ gets to the right place.

-Iconic hair and one of the most impressive young men, on a personal level, drafted into the NBA in some time. When you call a guy an “asset to the community,” you’re talking about kids like Walker.

-We’ve probably seen him at his worst offensively as Miami’s coaching staff never seemed to really know what to do with him, seeming to only realize after half a season how talented he really is.

The bad:

-More than half of his shots in college were 3’s, which is a mildly scary stat for a 34% 3-point shooter. Good form, but certainly not a high-awareness offensive player yet.

-Negligible advanced stats in college if you’re into that kind of thing: a 16.3 PER and Box Plus/Minus of 4.8 are pretty underwhelming compared to Bridges (PER: 22.8 and BPM: 9.5) or SGA (PER: 21.2 and BPM: 9.1).

-Didn’t play nearly as many minutes in college as the other 5 guys on this list (only 27.8 MP/PG), which is a concern, especially since he played for a good but certainly not great Miami team.

-Often just kind of hangs out on offense when he doesn’t have the ball.

Was Bridges the right pick? Yes, but this one is actually pretty close for me–like 60/40 close. I love Walker and think he has the mindset and physical tools necessary to achieve greatness.

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