Charlotte Hornets: 15 greatest scorers of all-time

• 19.3 PPG, 10,216 points, 8 seasons
• 2x NBA All-Star (2017-18)
• 2x NBA Sportsman Award (2017-18)
• Franchise leader in points (10,380+)
• Franchise leader in 3-point field goals made (1,088+)

Kemba Walker has in his first eight seasons in the league emerged as the greatest player in Charlotte professional basketball history. Like many great Hornets/Bobcats before him, Walker first made a name for himself on a national stage starring in college basketball.

The junior point guard led the UConn Huskies to an improbable national championship in 2011. Walker’s climb to stardom in the NCAA Tournament had him crack the top-10 of the 2011 NBA Draft. The then-Bobcats used their No. 9 overall pick on the scoring guard coming out of Connecticut.

Admittedly, it took a few years for Walker to really find his star power in the NBA. During his first four years in the league, he was a score-first point guard that needed a high volume of looks to get his buckets, often finding himself averaging under 40 percent makes on his field goals.

Things did start to change for Walker under former Bobcats/Hornets head coach Steve Clifford. In the final year of the Bobcats in 2013-14, year three for Walker, you could start to see the Charlotte floor general become more of an on-court leader.

Charlotte might have stunk in its first year back to being the Hornets in 2014-15. However, the following year saw an evolution of sorts in Walker’s game. By year five in the league, Walker became a very good 3-point shooter. He improved his stroke from distance by well over 5 percent. This helped him become a more prolific scorer, a better playmaker and an Eastern Conference All-Star.

In the last two seasons, Walker has represented the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game. He has also been named the NBA Sportsman Award winner in both 2017 and 2018. All the while, Walker had usurped Dell Curry as the franchise’s greatest scorer. He has made well over 1,000 shots from 3-point land, as well as notched over 10,000 career points in Charlotte uniform.

Clearly in the midst of his prime, the 28-year-old star for the Hornets is having arguably his best season. Through mid-November 2018, Walker is leading the NBA in scoring with 29.6 points per game. His 60-point outburst versus the Philadelphia 76ers over the weekend might be his greatest performance to date.

Overall, Walker may not have been the best raw talent to play for the Hornets, but has developed into being the best scoring threat this franchise has ever had. It’s a testament to his work ethic and ever-evolving game. Should he play close to this level for the next few years, maybe his No. 15 jersey will one day hang in the Charlotte rafters?