Charlotte Hornets: 15 greatest scorers of all-time

• 13.3 PPG, 5,311 points, 5 seasons
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2006)
• 41.0 career field goal percentage w/Bobcats
• 32.7 career 3-point percentage w/Bobcats
• 399 career games, 369 career starts w/Bobcats

Raymond Felton came to the Bobcats fresh off a national championship win as the North Carolina Tar Heels starting point guard. Collegiate success was apparently paramount in how the Bobcats drafted in their earliest days as a franchise. They took Felton No. 5 overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, only a year after they took another former national champion in Emeka Okafor No. 2 overall.

Felton played his first of 14 NBA seasons in Charlotte as the then-Bobcats’ floor general. He stated 369 of 399 career games from 2005 to 2010 with the Bobcats. As a rookie, Felton made the All-Rookie Second Team. That season, he averaged 11.9 points per game on 39.1 percent shooting, making 54 starts in 80 appearances.

Beginning in that sophomore campaign in the league in 2006-07, Felton was the no-doubt starting point guard for Charlotte. This saw an increase in his scoring averages in his final four seasons with the Bobcats, averaging no fewer than 12.1 points per game, but normally above 14.0 in a season.

Simply put, Felton was a player that needed the ball in his hands to be effective, but wasn’t the most efficient player at that. He shot only 41.0 percent from the field in his five seasons in Charlotte, but hit a respectable 32.7 percent of his looks from distance. A capable passer, Felton was at his best when he wasn’t asked to do the bulk of the team’s scoring.

In fact, Charlotte made its first trip to the NBA playoffs since expansion in 2009-10. That was also Felton’s last season with the team before he signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks in summer 2010.

Felton saw his scoring average dip to 12.1 in that final Charlotte season of his. However, he averaged career bests in field goal percentage (45.9) and 3-point percentage (38.5). His next best season from the field in Charlotte uniform was only 41.4 percent in 2007-08.

During his five years with the Bobcats, Felton averaged a solid 13.3 points per game. Though not a great total, in was a decent complement to his 6.4 assists per game of the same stretch. He amassed 5,311 points in five seasons with the Bobcats.

After three years with the Knicks, Felton began his career as a journeyman. He is now entering his second season as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder backing up Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder at the point. One has to think that if Felton played with better players in Charlotte, he would be higher than just No. 9 on this all-time list.