Jeremy Lamb should start at shooting guard for the Charlotte Hornets

Jeremy Lamb has been a player filled with potential and hype for the majority of his NBA career. This season, he proved that the potential was always there and that he was capable of a much larger role for the Charlotte Hornets.

Since his acquisition in the 2015 NBA offseason, I have been a die-hard Jeremy Lamb advocate. A fellow UConn product to Kemba Walker, the fit as a premier bench scorer and possible secondary option to Kemba was thrilling. It’s certainly taken Jeremy Lamb a good chunk of time getting his play to an efficient and consistent level; however, Lamb made an outstanding case to become a starter for the Charlotte Hornets, this season.

Let’s start with the shooting, a staple of Lamb’s game since his inaugural season in the league. In his rookie season, Lamb shot a below-average 30% from three and 35% from the field, while not missing a single free-throw the entire season (only 14 attempts, but still).

These percentages, while factoring in his shot selection (not great), gave Lamb and efficient field-goal percentage of just 42%, in his rookie season. Now, this season, Lamb was good on 37% of his threes, 46% from the field, and had a career-best 53% efficient field-goal percentage.

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Clearly, Lamb has made strides as a shooter during his tenure as a professional basketball player, as is to be expected. However, he’s also made improvements as a playmaker and ball-distributor for the Hornets.

With players like Dwayne Bacon and Malik Monk taking more shots and possessions away from Lamb, his usage rate took a dip to their lowest since he became a Hornet; nonetheless, Lamb increased his assist percentage to a career-best 15.4%.

Further, Lamb assisted on 444 points this year for the Hornets, more than his previous two seasons combined (184 and 173, respectively). If Lamb can continue to improve as a distributor for the team, his talents next to the likes of Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum would be a fantastic fit.

Rounding out his game, Jeremy Lamb has also shown promise as a rebounding guard and an improved defender. Per 36 minutes, Lamb averages around six rebounds per game. He’s a constant threat on the offensive boards with his 6’11” wingspan and 38-inch vertical, as well.

During his time as a Charlotte Hornet, the question with Lamb has been his effort/ability on defense. In his previous two seasons, Lamb allowed his offensive opponent to convert on 73% and 64% of their shot attempts; this season, he only allowed them to score on 35% of their tries. If Lamb can continue to improve as a defender on the wing, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be a starting-caliber player.

Though some might question whether coach James Borrego should give the heralded sharpshooter Malik Monk the starting position, the clear choice here is Jeremy Lamb. He is an improved defender, shooter, and distributor, and is a clean fit with Kemba Walker and the rest of the starting group.

It seems as though Jeremy Lamb is finally converting on that ever-elusive potential that made him so intriguing as a player in a Hornets uniform. If given the opportunity to start, Lamb will only give Buzz City more reasons to keep him around long-term in his contract year.