What does Tony Parker Bring to the Table for the Charlotte Hornets?

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 24: Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. 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 Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 24: Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball against the Golden State Warriors in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 24, 2018 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. 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 Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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In a surprising move this off-season, longtime Spurs point guard Tony Parker decided to sign with the Charlotte Hornets. With Parker taking on a new role in Charlotte, we take a look at Parker’s potential impact this season.

After 17 years and four NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker elected to sign with the Charlotte Hornets in the off-season.

The Spurs reportedly wanted to bring Parker back more as a mentor for new starting point guard Dejounte Murrary. Instead, the Hornets offered him minutes as star point guard Kemba Walker’s backup, and will lead the charge from the second unit. While Parker is past his hay-day, he still has great leadership, experience, and some more talent to provide this season.

Parker is going to be in a great situation to come off the bench, control the tempo, and help the second unit be more competitive.

For the first time in his career, Tony Parker is going to come off the bench for the majority of the season. Kemba will play heavy minutes and run some with the bench, but most of the time that duty will be given to Parker. While he won’t be the primary scorer in the second unit either, Parker can definitely help those who are. He has been fairly efficient his entire career, and never averaged under four assists until last year’s injury-riddled season. Depending on who wins starting jobs, second unit scorers like Jeremy Lamb, Frank Kaminsky, Malik Monk, and rookie Miles Bridges should all benefit from Parker playing with the ball in his hands.

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Predictions for Parkers 2018-19 Season:

  • 6 points and 4 assists per game, but his greater value won’t show up in the box score

It is apparent that Parker isn’t the same factor he was a decade ago, but he can still do some good things. Hopefully those six points a game are on some very high shooting percentages, and four assists in limited time isn’t bad at all. However, his biggest attribute is being consistent. Parker won’t take bad shots, will get his teammates involved, and be a great leader. Tony Parker’s value this season won’t be seen in the numbers, but it will be felt by his teammates when he helps them win.