Charlotte Hornets need a backup point guard to improve

Théo Maledon hadn’t played since December when he got into the first of the back-to-back games against the Dallas Mavericks. He has spent most of his time in the G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets this season. He’s played in 24 games, starting all except two. The 6’4 point guard from France is in his third year in the league but is only 21 years old. Like many foreign-born players, he has been playing professionally since he was a teenager.

Maledon was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder and played in 65 games, starting a surprising 49 of those contests. Even in limited minutes, he showed great potential to be a playmaker—he had a career-high 12 assists his rookie year. It was one of the two double-doubles he’s had in his career. Eventually, he was traded to another rebuilding franchise, the Houston Rockets, waived, and picked up by the Hornets on a 2-way contract.

What has Théo Maledon shown the Charlotte Hornets?

His time on the court in the second game against Dallas was illuminating. While his numbers were somewhat pedestrian, six points and five assists for a +2 in nearly 20 minutes of game time, it highlighted a glaring hole for the Charlotte Hornets. They have needed a playmaking backup point guard for some time.

The Hornets have the fifth-fewest points per game generated from their bench this season (29.3) according to Statmuse. The role of a backup point guard is to run the offense. Often the teammates sharing the court with him aren’t the team’s best scorers, and therefore are even more desperate to have a set-up person to make their offensive possessions easier. For the Hornets, a team bereft of the superstars that adorn other NBA rosters, that role becomes even more important, and even more difficult.

Specifically, with the Hornets, the role of the backup point guard has another duty—a potential starter. LaMelo Ball, for all his greatness, has yet to play 82 games. In fact, the third-year player will have missed 84 games once this season closes. It will be vital for the person that fills this role to be able to sustain the Hornets’ offense whenever Ball is on the bench, be it when he is getting a breather between stoppages, or if he’s resting in street clothes.

Maledon, who has shown competency in the role at various points in his career, may not be the long-term solution for the Hornets (he will be a free agent at the end of this season), but it is obvious the team will need a strong hand to guide it moving forward to ensure the team’s progress.