5 Hornets whose roles are not safe after NBA trade deadline
By Ben Handler
J.T. Thor
JT Thor was an intriguing prospect coming out of college as a possible stretch-big, but it hasn’t really worked out on either end. Now in his third year with the Hornets, Thor hasn’t been able to carve out any meaningful role in the rotation, even amidst a myriad of injuries, and a dearth of talent.
Thor has appeared in 42 games so far this season for Charlotte but for only 13.7 minutes a game. On the year he’s averaged just 3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks a night, and has shot just 31% from three.
His shot simply isn’t good enough for the defense to respect it, and he hasn’t been able to hold up defensively against NBA big men. It’s too early to completely write off the 6’10” 21-year-old, but he needs to add muscle and physicality to his game to stick around.
He’s been pushed out of the Hornets rotation, and frankly, there’s not much room in the NBA for Power Forwards who don’t stretch the floor. He’s going to need major improvements on both ends of the floor and until that happens I think we are done seeing him on the floor for the Hornets.