Charlotte Hornets Round Table: Mid-season review and trade discussion

Who should get more minutes?

Caleb Baugher (Contributor): I’d like to see more of Willy Hernangomez. It seems like Biyombo and Zeller are the only ones playing the five position on a nightly basis and it’s got to be hard on the aging big men. Hernangomez has fresher legs and deserves a chance to shine.

Austin Daisey (Contributor): I’d like to see Malik Monk get more minutes for Charlotte. He has appeared in 38 games but is yet to break the starting lineup. He’s currently averaging 19.8 minutes with 8.7 ppg. He is someone that I think has all the potential in the world and would love to see him get an opportunity to show that with some more minutes. Another guy that is fantastic in spurts is Cody Zeller. Not only is he a bully down low, but he can also knock down the three balls when you’re not expecting it. He’s had a decent year so far and is averaging 23.2 minutes, which could be all he has in the tank. If Borrego isn’t emptying Zeller’s tank by the end of a game, I believe he needs to be out on the court more.

Elijah Edwards (Contributor): I had hoped Dwayne Bacon would be more of an option this season. His shooting has been dreadful, however, and he’s not the best defensive player. If the Charlotte Hornets end up struggling and fall even further down in the Eastern Conference standings, I’d like to see him get more minutes just to develop a rhythm and improve his shooting.

Aaron Khor (Contributor): For the sake of picking someone, I’m going to say Willy Hernangomez. I don’t think he’s ever had a real opportunity on the Hornets team to show what he can do. I get that his defense is horrible, but surely game time will help improve that. His career true rebounding percentage is over 25% which is significantly higher than Cody Zeller at 14.2% and Bismack Biyombo’s at 17.3%. He would certainly help rebound the basketball if he could get a stop.

Scott Overbey (Contributor): It’s between Cody Martin and Dwayne Bacon for me. Martin has been the better player this season and I think he’s earned additional run. With Bacon, you’re hoping he can find his playing time.

Zachary Padmore (Site-Expert): One player who has been in-and-out of the rotation is Cody Martin, and I think he deserves a permanent role in the rotation. Whenever he’s on the court, Martin just seems to make a difference. He brings energy, defense and winning plays, and it’s contagious. I’d make getting him more and more experience on an NBA floor a priority moving forward if I were the Hornets.

Giovanni Spillman (Site-Expert): At this point, the Hornets need to continue to give Dwayne Bacon more minutes off of the bench. We have seen him getting more as of late, but I would like him to get a lot more court time. His defense off of the bench is helpful, and his offense as been improving.