Charlotte Bobcats: Should Ramon Sessions Start Over Kemba Walker?
Nov 18, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Charlotte Bobcats point guard Ramon Sessions (7) shoots the ball against Chicago Bulls center Nazr Mohammed (48) during the second quarter of their game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
Out of college, Connecticut star Kemba Walker was compared to former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Ben Gordon. I mean, why not make the comparisons? Both led their teams to national titles in their junior year. Both were high volume shooters and both played well in crunch time. Oh yeah, they also played for the Huskies. The difference in their NBA careers? The Bulls used Gordon off the bench while Kemba was inserted into the starting lineup early and often. Should the Charlotte Bobcats change Kemba’s role? Let’s take a look at Kemba’s stat line:
Kemba Walker stat line
credit: NBA.com/stats
It’s pretty obvious that Kemba has struggled with his shot this season. I mean, 37 percent shooting is pretty bad–want to know how bad? He ranks next-to-last in the NBA to Derrick Rose. Additionally his 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio isn’t anything to smile about either. Kemba is one of the major reasons why the Bobcats rank 30th in the NBA in points per game. Despite their offensive struggles, Charlotte only sits one game behind the third seed in the East. Yeah, I am shocked as well. It’s sad to say, but the Cats have a good shot at not only making it to the playoffs, but also advancing. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, to make it to the playoffs they need to increase their 88.6 points per game pace. A healthy Al Jefferson is a start, but will he fix all the problems? Probably not.
I propose switching switching Kemba’s role with Ramon Sessions‘. Let’s see what Sessions has done off the bench as the sixth man:
Ramon Sessions stats
Credit: NBA.com/stats
Sessions hasn’t been All-Star like, but he has been serviceable for the Bobcats. He averages 5.0 assists per 36 minutes compared to Kemba’s 4.1. Can that small amount make a huge difference for the Charlotte offense? Well when you are ranked 27th in the NBA in assists per game, your team needs to improve its ball movement. Ramon brings that to the table. He has experience starting, as he did for the Lakers in 2012. The questions becomes would benching Walker hurt his development? I don’t think so.
Coach Steve Clifford can still give Walker 30 plus minutes a game. If anything, Kemba can be more of himself in this proposed new role. Give the distribution responsibilities to the veteran and take some pressure off the youngster. This will help the team win now while not hurting the development of their young star. What do you guys think? Should Sessions start over Walker?