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Charlotte Hornets: 5 keys to making the playoffs in 2017-18

By Jen Julie Smith

CHARLOTTE, NC - APRIL 29: A general view of shirts on seats prior to the game between the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets in game six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Time Warner Cable Arena on April 29, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - APRIL 29: A general view of shirts on seats prior to the game between the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets in game six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Time Warner Cable Arena on April 29, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images /

Walker has to get his assist numbers up

Walker is not a pass-first point guard. Because basketball is a team sport, he must get his teammates more involved in the offense. In this league, unless you’re on a team that has a high offensive efficiency, Walker must learn to make plays on-and-off the ball.

Last season, Walker averaged 23.2 points and 5.5 assists per game. Those assist numbers are way too low for the point guard position.

Walker is hurting his team’s playoff chances if he doesn’t learn to pass the ball more often. Because whichever team scores the most baskets wins the game, and with only Walker involved on the scoring side of the equation, it’s as if Charlotte is playing one against five – which is without a doubt a recipe for disaster.

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No one doubts that Walker is a great player, but his goal is to make his teammates better. A successful point guard sees the floor and finds the teammate that’s in the best position to score.

Leadership starts at the top, and Walker must start trusting his teammates on the offensive end. Having 5.5 assists per game is not going to get the Hornets anywhere. All it will do is cause Charlotte to play catch-up towards the end of the season. And by then it will be too late.

This season, with the acquisition of Howard, Walker now has someone who he can get involved in pick-and-roll situations. With Howard at the rim, there’s no better alley-oop partner.

But it’s not just Howard. Walker should be passing the ball more to every single one of his teammates — Nicolas Batum in particular, whose low scoring doesn’t fit his position as a shooting guard.

If Walker gets his team involved that will build up each player’s confidence once they see that their captain trusts them. In turn, his teammates will then be able to make their own plays.

Thus, the first key to the Hornets’ chances of reaching the playoffs is for Walker to involve his teammates more on the offensive end and get his assist numbers up. If that doesn’t happen, Charlotte is probably not seeing any postseason action.

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