Charlotte Hornets: The Good and Bad from the Returning Core

Devonte Graham

The Good

Though he’s only in his third year, Devonte plays with the poise and exudes the security of a seasoned point guard with the ball in his hands. Perhaps he should—he may not technically be a veteran, but he’s a day older than Andrew Wiggins who’s entering his seventh season.

With that in mind, fans should be realistic about what level of improvement they can expect from Graham. Shooters naturally have later peaks than other players, but he’s at least 90% of a finished product now.

Graham’s well-known offseason goal was to become a more consistent finisher on midrange shots and attempts at the rim. His abysmal efficiency in those crucial shot categories somewhat qualified his historic near-14-point nightly scoring bump from year 1 to 2.

Early returns this preseason suggest Graham’s work might have paid off. On tape, his floater game and ability to finish through contact and at the rim looked vastly improved. The numbers back that up; he went 23/49 (46.9%) from the field and 13/32 (40.6%) from 3, both improvements from last season (38.2% and 37.3% respectively). It’s likely that his lightened offensive load next to Hayward allows him to take more suitable shots as well. I expect Graham is able to hit around 40-41% from the field in the coming season.

The Bad

Not much can be said about Graham that isn’t already known in this category, which can be seen as a negative in a way. He competes defensively, but will always be limited by stature in that regard. Eventually, he’ll have to be paid if the Hornets want to retain him since he’s in a contract year, and there’s reason to believe the number he’s after could be higher than the team wants to or should pay.