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Devonte’ Graham’s second year was among the best in Charlotte Hornets history

By Elijah Edwards

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 05: Devonte' Graham #4 of the Charlotte Hornets after making a shot during the third quarter during their game against the Denver Nuggets at Spectrum Center on March 05, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 05: Devonte' Graham #4 of the Charlotte Hornets after making a shot during the third quarter during their game against the Denver Nuggets at Spectrum Center on March 05, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
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The Charlotte Hornets have had plenty of impressive players who excelled in their second years in the NBA. Devonte’ Graham is the latest and his season is one that may prove to be one of the best.

While we continue to wait to see what the rest of the world is going to do in the coming weeks and months, most of us have little else to do other than speculate and hypothesize what will happen. This includes the Charlotte Hornets, who are still wondering if their season is over.

If so, then that means it’s time for guys like us to jump in and cover the past season while also trying to predict the future. As far as past seasons go, Devonte’ Graham had a pretty good one. The Hornets needed it, too, as he and fellow guard, Terry Rozier, provided much of the offense for Charlotte.

So, just how good was Graham’s second season? Well, it’s up there, that’s for sure, especially when you consider where he was at this time last season. In fact, it may just be one of the better second-year campaigns in team history.

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It might not compare to some of the Charlotte Hornets legends like Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning, but those guys were taken number one and two overall in their respective drafts. Their second seasons both resulted in them being selected for the All-Star game.

Graham’s wasn’t quite up there but in terms of guards that have played in Charlotte, his improvement from his rookie year to this one is arguably the best the team has ever seen. Not even Kemba Walker, the team’s all-time leading scorer, had a leap like Devonte’s.

When the Hornets traded for Graham after the Atlanta Hawks selected him 34th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, not many expected the talented, 6’1″ point guard out of Kansas to do much. In fairness, he wasn’t acquired in order to compete for a starting job, by any stretch.

Kemba Walker was firmly cemented at that spot with veteran point guard, Tony Parker, set to back him up. So, many expected him to simply ride the bench or worse yet, spend much of his time with the Greensboro Swarm.

And that he did for a decent part of that season, before firmly being implanted into the everyday rotation later in the year.  He would even start in three games due to a mixture of injuries and improved play.

Still, his averages of 4.7 points and 2.6 assists per game didn’t exactly wow anyone, but he had shown promise here and there. Very few, however, could have predicted the leap he took from his rookie year to this one.

Not only are his 18.2 points per game the team’s highest, but his 7.2 assists per game are the highest average for a Charlotte team since Raymond Felton averaged 7.4 dimes per contest in 2007-2008. Devonte’ also is currently 7th in the NBA in three-pointers made.

In terms of where that puts him among guards in their second years, the only one to really come close in terms of such a vast improvement is Kendall Gill, whose second year came in the 1991-1992 season, where he went from 11 points a game during the previous year to 20.5 the next.

The main differences here, though, are Devonte’s shooting percentages. His overall field goal percentage is lower than Gill’s by well over ten percent, but his three-point field goal percentage is way above Gill’s, with Kendall making just 24% from deep compared to Devonte’s 37%.

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Of course, this is a vastly different era, where players weren’t as reliant on the deep ball and the mid-range shot was still en vogue. Still, Devonte’ had a much steeper increase in scoring and assists than Gill and was taking over for the best player the franchise has ever seen.

Not to mention that Kendall Gill was taken with the fifth overall pick in his draft. Graham was forecasted by many to just be a role player, though some obviously saw a diamond in the rough.

I think that alone puts his second year up there with some of the more noteworthy names in the annals of Charlotte’s basketball history. He’s always had the talent, sure, but compared to some of the other guys, he rose way above every expectation, to the point where he may just win Most Improved Player when all is said and done.

Hornets fans’ only hope is that Devonte’ Graham can, at the very least, sustain this level of play over the next few years. At best, he can become the second-coming of Kemba Walker. I mean, he only studied under him for a year, right?

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Whatever happens, the Queen City knows what they have in this young spark plug. The rest of the world might not see just yet, but that could change very soon, especially if he keeps improving at the rate he has. In any case, we all look forward to seeing him grow in a Charlotte Hornets uniform.

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