Charlotte Hornets: Best Case Scenarios For 2016-17

Kemba Walker Will Continue To Progress

Kemba Walker has been known as being a dynamic scoring point guard ever since his days at the University of Connecticut. The NBA is a different story due to the amount of superstar players who make up the point guard position.

Throughout his first four seasons, Walker was the definition of a consistent players statistically. Every time he stepped on the floor, you could guarantee that he would end up with somewhere around 17 points and five assists.

The raw numbers weren’t bad at all, but the biggest criticism behind his game was his spastic shot selection and decision making with the ball.

He made strides in his first couple of seasons, but he improvement that he displayed last season was drastic. Sports Illustrated recently released their ranking of the top-100 players in the NBA.

After not being ranked last season, Walker came in this year’s edition at No. 36. A monstrous jump.

Ben Golliver explained it best:

"For years, the mention of Kemba Walker during our rankings process was met with dismissive disdain. Tries to do too much. Inefficient. Poor shot selection. Weak defender. Not good enough to be a No. 1 scoring option on a playoff team. This year, of course, everything is different, as Walker, 26, jumped from the land of the snubs to the top 40. Walker (20.9 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.4 RPG) was a totally different player from a statistical standpoint last season: a much improved and more selective shooter, a more efficient scorer, a more effective player in crunch time, and a more trusting teammate. The arrival of some additional playmakers and floor-spacing options certainly helped, as did a faster pace and a new spread approach on offense that saw Charlotte’s assist ratio improve from No. 26 to No. 17 last season. Walker’s breakthrough is a familiar basketball story that never gets old: Everyone benefits when the basketball moves, even flashy lead guards who made their names by boasting a full arsenal of dribble moves and total confidence in their shot-making ability."

It seems as if the game is slowing down for Walker. That happens when a player is becoming more comfortable with their role and the speed of the game. In most cases, it means for much better production and efficiency.

This team will go as far as Walker takes them. In terms of creating shots for one’s self, he is the best option to do so on this Hornets team.

Next: The Return of a Crucial Piece