Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Charlotte Hornets Draft: Tyrell Terry can be an offensive spark plug off the bench

By Elijah Edwards

STANFORD, CA - FEBRUARY 01: Tyrell Terry #3 of the Stanford Cardinal dribbles the ball defended by Chris Duarte #5 of the Oregon Ducks during a game between University of Oregon and Stanford at Maples Pavilion on February 01, 2020 in Stanford, California. (Photo by Bob Drebin/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
STANFORD, CA - FEBRUARY 01: Tyrell Terry #3 of the Stanford Cardinal dribbles the ball defended by Chris Duarte #5 of the Oregon Ducks during a game between University of Oregon and Stanford at Maples Pavilion on February 01, 2020 in Stanford, California. (Photo by Bob Drebin/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Charlotte Hornets don’t really have a true backup point guard. That answer might come late in the NBA Draft if they feel they can find it.

In terms of their everyday rotation, the Charlotte Hornets only field two true point guards in Devonte’ Graham and Terry Rozier. Their usual next off the bench in terms of guards is Malik Monk, but he’s more of a shooting guard, though a bit undersized.

At times, Greensboro Swarm regular, Joe Chealey, has been asked to become the de facto third point guard, but usually in rare circumstances when the Hornets are up big late in games. He isn’t a regular rotation guy, however, and as such, only saw four games worth of action.

So, it’s clear that the Hornets need a clear second option off the bench, and why not look to the NBA Draft for that answer? The team’s first need is a center, of course, and there’s a good chance they can address that in the first round.

Is the Pac-12 the place the Charlotte Hornets could find their next backup point guard?

In the second round, though, is where they can take care of their backcourt needs and that solution could come from Stanford guard, Tyrell Terry. The 6’1″, 160-pound 19-year-old played just one year with the Cardinals, but certainly made his impression felt, scoring the second-most points on the team as a freshman and was also second on the team in assists and rebounds.

More from Swarm and Sting

He averaged 14.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 31 games for Stanford this past season. He’s mostly going to be known for his shooting, which is among some of the best in this year’s draft.

He shot 41% from three this past season and nearly 90% from the charity stripe. He’s a decent pick-and-roll shooter and has great range when it comes to spot-up shooting. He’s not much of a slasher but can get to the basket when given space.

He’s an adequate passer in both set plays and in transition, seeing the open floor well enough to run a second unit if need be. Terry can be both a primary passer or a complimentary passer, dishing out of double teams or dropping the rock off to a slashing player off of a touch pass.

Defensively, he can be a liability, due to his size, but has the speed to close out on shooters on the perimeter. He’ll get bullied by bigger guards if he doesn’t bulk up during the summer, but for smaller guards, he’s serviceable.

Hot. Charlotte Hornets: Looking at the three-most impressive wins of the season. light

Ideally, he would be paired with a good pick-and-roll center, which the Hornets do have in Cody Zeller. He may end up needing help on the defensive end early on, but he should at least be able to understand the fundamentals of modern NBA defenses.

If he can put on some muscle and become a better passer, he’ll be a nice two-way guard that can easily be the first option off the bench or fill in if the starter is out. Terry will certainly need the right system and coaching to get the most out of his skill set, but his raw potential is through the roof.

Next. Charlotte Hornets: All-time starting five, with no teammates allowed. dark

The Charlotte Hornets have a lot of questions to answer in the upcoming NBA draft and finding a true backup point guard might be one of them. Drafting yet another smaller sized point guard may not be the best idea, but if they feel they can get a steal late in the second round, Tyrell Terry could just be that.