Charlotte Bobcats: Grading Each Player’s Performance In 2012-13
By John Hugar
Kemba W alker was easily the most improved player on the Charlotte Bobcats this season. Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com
The Charlotte Bobcats improved this year in the sense that, unlike last year’s team, they weren’t the worst team in the history of the NBA. They managed to win 21 games, while young players like Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson demonstrated that they have a lot of talent and might be able to take the Bobcats out of the gutter. Some spots were brighter than others, but there is certainly some cause for optimism in Charlotte these days.
Kemba Walker
Walker improved significantly in his sophomore season, displaying the potential he showed when he led UConn to a national title in 2011. He improved in just about every category and illustrated that he is definitely the point guard of the future in Charlotte. Even during the bleaker moments of the season, when Bobcats fans were desperate for something to cling to, they could take comfort in the vastly improved play of Walker, which illustrated that they did have a potential superstar going forward.
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | 21 | CHA | NBA | PG | 66 | 25 | 27.2 | 4.3 | 11.6 | .366 | 1.0 | 3.4 | .305 | 2.5 | 3.2 | .789 | 0.5 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 12.1 |
| 2012-13 | 22 | CHA | NBA | PG | 82 | 82 | 34.9 | 6.4 | 15.2 | .423 | 1.3 | 4.0 | .322 | 3.6 | 4.5 | .798 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 17.7 |
| Career | NBA | 148 | 107 | 31.4 | 5.5 | 13.6 | .401 | 1.2 | 3.8 | .315 | 3.1 | 3.9 | .795 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 15.2 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/11/2013.
Grade: A-
Gerald Henderson
For most of the last two seasons, Henderson had essentially done the same thing; put up decent stats on a bad team. Even if he was one of the best players the Bobcats had, it was hard to get especially excited about his efforts. Then, toward the end of the 2012-13 season, Henderson put his game into overdrive. He was scoring at a higher rate than he ever had before and he gave the impression that he could be a first scoring option. After averaging 12.8 points before the All-Star break, he averaged 18.9 afterward. Henderson will hit free agency this summer and now, the odds have become much better that the Bobcats will keep him around for the long haul. He’s too good at putting points on the board.
Grade: B
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Despite a solid start, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft had a rather underwhelming rookie season. While his .458 shooting percentage appears decent, the fact is that it was only because he took most of his shots around the net; he struggled from every other area and has yet to establish any 3-point game. Also, there were numerous games where Kidd-Gilchrist would vanish from the offense entirely; he scored less than five points in 20 of his 78 games played. If Kidd-Gilchrist is going to live up to the expectations of a No. 2 pick, he’s going to have to pick things up soon.
Grade: C
Well, we know he can block shots. Biyombo excelled in that category, averaging 1.8 rejections per game. Unfortunately, he is still extremely raw in just about every other category. His offense remains practically non-existent. This season, he shot .451 from the field despite taking nearly all of shots near the rim. Right now, Biyombo has one skill that he has mastered, but other than that, he still has no idea how to play basketball. The Bobcats knew they were getting a raw player when they took Biyombo, but they probably thought his game would be at least a little more refined by now.
Grade: C
Byron Mullens
The great contradiction of Mullens’ game is that he has more range than any other center, but unfortunately, he’s not particularly good from any of them. The fact that he’s the rare center who can hit 3s makes him valuable, but since he only hit .310 from downtown this season, there’s a limit to how much value he really is. Mullens’ offensive rating was a painfully low 94 this season and while he could occasionally explode for a big game, he was more far more likely to shoot his team out of contention with a string of bricked jumpers.
Grade: C-
Ben Gordon
Gordon had one one of the worst seasons that no one ever talked about in 2012-13. For all the criticism New Orleans Hornets guard Austin Rivers got for his play this year, Gordon was only slightly better. He was dreadful on both sides of the ball, putting up an offensive rating of 96, and a defensive rating of 115, while shooting just .408 from the field, easily the worst of his career. His solid 3-point percentage of .387 prevented him from being completely worthless, but since he produced negative win shares on offense and defense, it’s safe to say that Gordon was a grave disappointment for the Bobcats this season.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/11/2013.
Grade: D
Josh McRoberts
After doing very little for the Orlando Magic in the first half of the season (he wasn’t even cracking the rotation), McRoberts surprised everyone when he went to Charlotte and put up some very solid numbers. In 26 games with the Bobcats, McRoberts averaged more than nine points per game, while shooting .505 from the field. Just when it was starting to look like McRoberts might be washing out of the NBA, he puts together an excellent string of games, and proves that he may be valuable after all.
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 25 | ORL | NBA | PF | 41 | 3 | 16.7 | 1.5 | 3.7 | .392 | 0.4 | 1.3 | .309 | 0.5 | 0.7 | .733 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 3.9 |
| 2012-13 | 25 | CHA | NBA | PF | 26 | 19 | 30.8 | 3.7 | 7.3 | .505 | 0.3 | 1.1 | .241 | 1.7 | 2.1 | .782 | 2.0 | 5.2 | 7.2 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 9.3 |
| Career | NBA | 272 | 82 | 17.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | .497 | 0.2 | 0.7 | .314 | 0.8 | 1.1 | .704 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 4.9 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/11/2013.
Grade: A-
Ramon Sessions
After a disappointing run with the Lakers in the 2012 playoffs, Sessions joined the Bobcats looking to get his career back on track. He managed to do just that, putting up very strong numbers as the Bobcats’ backup point guard. Sessions averaged 14.4 points per game, while also leading the team in free-throws attempted per game. He missed some games due to injury, but when Sessions was in the lineup, he excelled off the bench and proved once again that he is a capable NBA player.
Grade: B-
Haywood has has a very solid career, but he struggled mightily for the Bobcats this season, giving the indication that his career might be coming to an end. Haywood shot a career-low .431 from the field, while averaging a meager 3.5 points per game. The Bobcats likely picked up Haywood hoping he would be a solid starting center and to give them some certainty as Biyombo adjusts to playing in the NBA. Sadly, that didn’t happen; Haywood looked decidedly burned out this season and it wouldn’t be surprising if he was out of the league before too long.
Grade: D