Charlotte Bobcats: Where Does Al Jefferson Take Them?
By John Hugar
Al Jefferson will make the Charlotte Bobcats a much better team. (Photo Credit/Saltcityhoops/Flickr.com)
On Thursday, while most folks in America were enjoying their Fourth of July barbecue, the Charlotte Bobcats made one of the bigger moves of the offseason so far, signing Al Jefferson to a three-year, $41 million deal. For a young team on the rise, this move went a long way towards giving them some legitimacy. Jefferson is one of the best scoring centers in the league and he’s a huge upgrade over Byron Mullens, who merely thought he was a great offensive center. The Bobcats are obviously a lot better in the aftermath of this deal. But just how good are they? Jefferson has enough talent that they may be able to contend for a playoff spot next season, especially if the Eastern Conference proves to be the weaker conference yet again.
| Season | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-05 | BOS | 71 | 1 | 14.8 | 2.7 | 5.2 | .528 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | .630 | 4.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 6.7 |
| 2005-06 | BOS | 59 | 7 | 18.0 | 3.2 | 6.4 | .499 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | .642 | 5.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 7.9 |
| 2006-07 | BOS | 69 | 60 | 33.6 | 6.6 | 12.8 | .514 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .000 | .681 | 11.0 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 16.0 |
| 2007-08 | MIN | 82 | 82 | 35.6 | 8.8 | 17.6 | .500 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | .721 | 11.1 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 21.0 |
| 2008-09 | MIN | 50 | 50 | 36.7 | 9.7 | 19.5 | .497 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | .738 | 11.0 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 23.1 |
| 2009-10 | MIN | 76 | 76 | 32.4 | 7.4 | 14.8 | .498 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .000 | .680 | 9.3 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 17.1 |
| 2010-11 | UTA | 82 | 82 | 35.9 | 8.0 | 16.1 | .496 | 0.0 | 0.0 | .761 | 9.7 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 18.6 | |
| 2011-12 | UTA | 61 | 61 | 34.0 | 8.5 | 17.2 | .492 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .250 | .774 | 9.6 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 19.2 |
| 2012-13 | UTA | 78 | 78 | 33.1 | 7.8 | 15.8 | .494 | 0.0 | 0.2 | .118 | .770 | 9.2 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 17.8 |
| Career | 628 | 497 | 30.6 | 7.0 | 14.0 | .500 | 0.0 | 0.1 | .071 | .717 | 9.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 16.4 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/5/2013.
What makes this move so great isn’t just that it gives the Bobcats a great scorer or even a capable big man, it’s that it makes their roster as a whole feel a lot more complete. The Bobcats had some talent last year, but nearly all of it came from the backcourt. Kemba Walker established himself as the team’s best player and one of the more talented young point guards in the league, while Gerald Henderson had another quietly effective year, establishing himself as an above-average scorer and one of the more underrated shooting guards around. Off the bench, Ramon Sessions provided a ton of energy and arguably had he best season of his career. After that, however, the situation got a little thin.
The Bobcats struggled mightily to get consistent production out of their frontcourt all year long. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist showed some promise early in the year, but he never developed as the season progressed and he was basically only capable of scoring near the basket. The problems with their big men persisted as well as Mullens and Bismack Biyombo weren’t exactly the most inspiring pair around. Biyombo is an excellent shot blocker, but his offensive game is so limited it would make Joel Anthony blush. Meanwhile, Mullens could put up 20 points one night and shoot his team into oblivion the next. The signing of Jefferson was a huge move for the Bobcats because it gives them an established quality player who isn’t a guard and solidified their roster in the process.
It will be interesting to see what the Bobcats starting lineup is now. If Biyombo continues to be the starting power forward, it would be an amusing combination; a power forward who can’t play offense and a star center whose biggest flaw is his weak defense. This pairing could potentially work, if the skills of each player combine to overcome the flaws. Then again, there’s also first-round pick Cody Zeller, who figures to play solid minutes next season. The decision to draft Zeller over Alex Len or Nerlens Noel actually makes less sense after the Jefferson signing. At the time, it could be explained through the logic of “Zeller can play right now, why wait for Len or Noel when you aren’t sure what you were going to get,” but with Jefferson obviously taking over the starting center job, it’s a little surprising the Bobcats didn’t take a shot at Noel, who likely has a higher ceiling even if he’s less of sure thing. Then again, the Vobcats could also play Zeller as the starting 4 and have Biyombo come off the bench. They have many options and it will be interesting to see how everything plays out.
In any event, though, the acquisition of Jefferson has made the Bobcats a much better team. Yes, his defensive game is limited, but he’s one of the best offensive centers in the league, with only Brook Lopez in the same league. The Bobcats feel like a far more complete team now, one that just might be able to squeak into the playoffs next year.