Charlotte Hornets: 20 greatest player seasons in franchise history

6. Kemba Walker, 2018-19

• NBA All-Star
• 25.1 PPG, 5.7 APG, 4.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG (55 games)
• 3.7 Offensive Win Shares, 1.5 Defensive Win Shares (55 games)
• 5.2 Win Shares, 2.6 Value Over Replacement Player (55 games)

Through 55 games, Kemba Walker is having statistically his best season as a member of the Bobcats/Hornets. He will start in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte. Could this be Walker’s best chance at making an All-NBA Team to date?

Okay, we might have to pump the breaks here a bit, but that’s no slight to the type of year that Walker is having. In his first 55 games, Walker is averaging 25.1 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He is well ahead of his best career scoring average of 23.2 points per game set in 2016-17.

Walker’s rise to stardom in Charlotte has come about largely due to his development under former Bobcats/Hornets head coach Steve Clifford. The former slasher out of UConn has developed into quite the shooter from distance. He is shooting 43.5 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from 3-point land and 83.1 percent on his free throws.

So far, Walker has amassed 3.7 offensive win shares and 1.5 defensive win shares, bringing his 55-game total to 5.2 roughly two-thirds of the way through the 2018-19 NBA season. This has him at a 2.6 value over replacement player for the year thus far.

At the All-Star break, Walker is just outside of the top-five all-time in greatest player seasons by a Charlotte hooper. He could get into the top-five with a series victory in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, should the Hornets qualify. However, he may need to be All-NBA to move up higher than No. 6.

Frankly, Walker is more of a score-first point guard than anything. His relatively low assists totals could keep him from being a top-six guard in the NBA. Since he’s not a defensive dynamo either, making an All-Defensive squad is out of the question. Regardless, this is the best season thus far for Walker. It could get better and maybe this is a sign that 2019-20 could potentially top this?