Charlotte Hornets: Who helped themselves in preseason and who didn’t

Helped: Devonte’ Graham

Which Charlotte Hornets player made the biggest jump over the summer? It very well could be Devonte’ Graham, who made a statement with his play in preseason, potentially helping him in his case for expanded playing time during the 2019-20 minutes.

Graham is penciled in to backup Terry Rozier at the point guard position, but with his improved shooting ability, he should be able to slide over to the two-guard spot and potentially even play with Rozier at times.

During the preseason, Graham managed to play 24.0 minutes per game. He ended up with averages of 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He shot 50 percent from the floor and 40 percent from deep on five attempts per game. He looks so much more confident from the perimeter.

He really struggled with his efficiency during his rookie season, shooting 34 percent from the floor and 28 percent from deep. He should have an easy time improving these percentages with another year of NBA experience under his belt.

I’m not sure if Graham will ever be a starter on this team, or in the NBA as a matter of fact, but I have always thought that he would be a high-level backup. He certainly looked like one during the preseason, so let’s hope he can carry this momentum into the regular season.