Dwayne Bacon
One of the players on the Hornets roster that is primed to have a big season is Dwayne Bacon. The third-year wing from Florida State showed some legit signs towards the end of last season and is coming off another strong Summer League. He’s going to start and will see much more shot attempts than he is used to.
Last season, Bacon averaged 7.3 points and 2.1 rebounds. After the All-Star break, those numbers jumped up to 11.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 27.4 minutes. He played a huge role in Charlotte’s late season run that saw them just one game away from the NBA Playoffs.
Offensively, Bacon has an all-around package, and the Hornets are going to rely on him with the ball in his hands. He’s athletic going to the rim, he can shoot and has a nice touch. I’d love to see him get to the free-throw line more often, as he attempted just 1.1 free throws per game last season.
He’s going to need to improve in the other areas of his game, though. He’s not a bad defender, but he could be better. The biggest thing for him, in my opinion, is becoming more of a playmaker. He makes the wrong read at times and maybe he will be able to slow things down as a third-year pro.
I think Bacon is going to have a big season for the Charlotte Hornets. I also think he’s one of the best players on the team and a building block for the franchise. The 40th pick in 2017 will show many why he should have been a first round pick.