Charlotte Hornets: Dwayne Bacon’s play leads to contract
After turning heads in the Orlando Summer League, Dwayne Bacon lands a contract with the Charlotte Hornets.
Just a few days into NBA Summer League, the Charlotte Hornets signed rookie Dwayne Bacon to a three-year deal, according to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to his reports, the deal includes two guaranteed years for this year’s 40th overall pick.
The life of a second round pick in the NBA is challenging. Sure, you may get to hear your name be announced and have the chance to say you were drafted, but there is no guarantee that you’ll make the team. Bacon was looked at as one of the players that would likely fall to the second round, but he has the tools to turn into a potential role player someday in the NBA. That must’ve been why the Hornets made a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans to put them in the No. 40 slot.
The reason Charlotte was quick on signing Bacon was because of his play in the Orlando Summer League. In the five games played, he averaged 15.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the floor.
Although he struggled to find his flow from three by shooting 20 percent over the five-game stretch, Bacon was a force off the dribble and when converting at the charity stripe. He was a perfect 19-for-19 in the five games from the free throw line.
At 6’7″, 220 pounds, Bacon has tremendous size and athleticism, both of which make him versatile on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he can handle the ball and initiate the offense. He displayed a good mix of playing a little bit of point guard and the ability to attack his man off the catch on the perimeter as well.
Like most rookies coming into the NBA, defense can be a challenge. Bacon was no different as he experienced his share of lapses on making the correct off-ball rotation. Those bad habits are often corrected with repetitions and film breakdown as the year goes on. The good news is Bacon has the measurements and athleticism to become a very good defender.
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When Bacon was the primary ball-handler for the Hornets in Orlando, he did a solid job of operating in pick-and-rolls. More times than not, he was looking to attack the big man’s hip and get himself into scoring position, whether it was a midrange jumper or attacking the rim looking to draw contact.
Bacon was perfect in converting at the free throw line and has the ability to be a one-man show in transition — maybe not one that is going to throw down posters on a regular basis, but making the effective play and finishing with points is what matters most.
Despite being signed, it’s going to be tough for Bacon to impose himself in the lineup next season for the Hornets. He has to become a more efficient outside shooter so the rest of his offense will be that much more effective when he gets out there with legitimate NBA talent. Bacon will likely spend the majority of his time with the Hornets’ G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Hornet.
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Even if that’s the case, he can continue on developing his game and could make his way into the rotation in 2018-19.