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Charlotte Hornets: 5 Best Decisions Of 2015

By Jon Shames

Dec 2, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard forward Jeremy Lamb (3) enters the arena before the game against the Boston Celtics at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard forward Jeremy Lamb (3) enters the arena before the game against the Boston Celtics at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 17, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Nicolas Batum (5) shoots the ball over New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 17, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Nicolas Batum (5) shoots the ball over New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Trading for Nicolas Batum

Trading for Nicolas Batum was a big gamble for the Hornets, as the team was forced to part ways with Noah Vonleh, an uber-athletic forward who had been picked ninth overall in the 2014 draft and was (at the time) just 19 years old. Though Batum was known to be one of the league’s top Swiss Army knife guys, he was coming off of a career-worst year considering the minutes he was receiving for a stacked Portland team.

Now, of course, it’s easy to see that acquiring the French wing was unquestionably the Hornets’ best move of 2015; Batum has stepped up as a leader for the Hornets, and is doing a little bit of everything for this team game-in and game-out.

The utility forward is quietly having an All-Star-caliber season behind averages of 16.2 points, 5.1 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game. The best part about Batum is that when his jumper isn’t falling, he still stays engaged and helps Charlotte as a playmaker and defender.

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Batum is an ego-less player, and has no problem deferring to the hot hand when need be. He is active, unpredictable, and most importantly, effective as hell. He enters free agency this summer, but the Hornets need to do whatever it takes to keep him on the roster for the next few seasons. He’s brought this group of parts together, and for that reason, the decision to trade for him remains the Hornets’ best of 2015.

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