On the 23rd of July, the Charlotte Hornets signed Robert Franks on a two way contract. That move went under the radar, but he is a player that could have a positive impact in the NBA.
The Charlotte Hornets used one of its two way contracts in order to sign Robert Franks, the power forward who played four seasons with the Washington State Cougars. He played in the PAC 12 conference, not one of the best in terms of competition. Despite that, he displayed a good amount of talent, especially with a solid outside shooting game. Franks was the 2nd best scorer in the Conference with 21.6 PPG.
Franks was invited and signed during the Las Vegas Summer League, but he did not impress during the competition. Coach Ronald Nored did not give him solid playing time, as the former Cougar explains in this cool interview.
Let’s try to understand what type of player he could be for the Hornets and our G-League affiliate team, the Swarm.
Offense:
Franks is a modern power forward. He is a gorgeous pick-and-pop player, and he could be able to adapt to Marvin William’s offensive sets.
Despite being a 6’9”, 225 LB power forward, he is a pure shooter. 46% of his FGA are from the three point line. He converted 188 three point shots with a 40% ratio, that is a huge number. Franks has a polished and quick release, not common for a player with that body type.
During last season, he broke Klay Thompson‘s single-game three-point record with the Cougars.
NBA teams are always looking for players that are oriented in shooting the three point, especially if they are big men.
Robert Franks’ offensive game can count on a good mid-range jump shot and on his ability to finish at the rim. He has a big body and that allows him to finish strong while attacking the basket.
This tape help us on understanding what Robert Franks could be in the years coming:
https://twitter.com/BarresiFilippo4/status/1158113865214902272
Defense:
Defense is probably the aspect that he should work on in order to survive in the NBA. He is not a great defender and he has not shown that he is capable to dominate the defensive end of the floor.
During last season with the Cougars, he registered a 1.1 STL% and a 2.3 BLK%. Those numbers are not that bad, but are not impressive too. He could be much better defensively if he plays with the right attitude and effort.
In the NBA, he could be paired with strong big men that will be hard to handle. Starting this process in the G league could help him adjusting to it. Franks is a solid rebounder, especially with defensive rebounds. Last year he averaged 7.2 RPG, 5.9 of them were defensive rebounds.
Overall, I liked this type of signing from the Charlotte Hornets. Our team used an early two way contract on him because the recognized his talent. The 23 year old could have some real upside; he is a modern player that could fit perfectly with the NBA.
He will get a solid early playing time with our G-League team, that will help him on translating into the NBA. I hope he becomes a good rotational player for the Hornets and if the season goes as we all expect, I do not mind seeing him get some reps with the Hornets in the final part of the season.
With Marvin Williams expiring and the Charlotte big men spot opening, he could develop in a solid bench player for our team in the years coming. Not easy to say, but the Charlotte Hornets may have found the ‘Franks’ they were searching for.