Charlotte Hornets: 5 goals for Kemba Walker in 2017-18
1. Lead Hornets past the second round of the playoffs
In order for the Hornets to not miss the playoffs for a second year in a row, Walker should strive to take his game to the next level, because he has what it takes to continue to operate on an elite level.
He has shown spurts of greatness, but it has to be consistent. Not only will Walker help the Hornets reach the playoffs, they won’t get knocked out in the first round. After failing to secure a playoff berth, this is what Clifford had to say about his team:
"“At the end-of-season press conference Coach Steve Clifford wasn’t interested in making excuses, instead borrowing a quote from NFL coaching legend Bill Parcells.” “‘You are what your record says you are,’ Clifford said.”"
However, if Walker chooses to take his leadership mantle by the horns this season, the Hornets can be much better than they were. Charlotte made some pretty good offseason moves by trading for Howard and drafting Malik Monk and Dwayne Bacon. The Hornets now have the pieces in place to make a serious run at the playoffs.
Walker averaged 23.2 points and 5.5 assists per game last season. He shot 44.3 percent from the field, 39.9 percent from the three, and is an 84.7 percent free throw shooter.
With those numbers, Walker is doing his job. But as the point guard, he must make sure everyone else is doing theirs. The definition of a great point guard means making everyone around you better.
Walker’s goal should be to become a pass-first point guard. In this league, unless you’re on a team that has a high offensive efficiency, you must learn to make plays both on and off the ball.
Does Walker have what it takes to not only win games, but also win during the postseason? There’s another level that he has to take, in order for Charlotte to have a deep playoff run.
This season, he can break out to be one of the best guards in the league by becoming the type of guard that knows not only what it takes to lead his team to the playoffs, but to win in the postseason.
Walker has to involve his team more on the offensive end. As their floor general, he has to trust his soldiers more. There needs to be more ball movement, and that can only occur if Walker improves his assist ratio.
If the Hornets want to make a serious playoff push, there has to be more ball movement. Which means Walker has to get everyone more involved in the offense, including more pick-and-roll situations.
Charlotte also has to start winning away from home, because they’re just not a good road team. They finished with a 14-27 record last year on the road. If they unable to win on the road during the regular season, then forget about winning on the road during the postseason.
The Hornets must also improve their 3-point shooting. No one expects MKG to turn into a sharpshooter overnight, but he should attempt more than the nine 3-point shots from last season. Likewise, no one expects Howard to attempt any shots outside the perimeter. If anyone sees him venturing out there with the ball, that’s cause for his own teammates to foul him.
Also, the entire team must develop a perimeter defense. No team should walk into the Hornets’ court, looking like the Harlem Globetrotters knocking down threes.
It’s not a given that the Boston Celtics will remain at the top of the leaderboard next season. Advantage Charlotte – they have continuity, where the team remained mostly intact, and the players are very familiar with each other.
If Walker can help the team iron out its quirks early in the season, Charlotte can make it past the first round, instead of being one-and-done.
Next: Complete 2017 NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams
For 2017-18, If Walker accomplishes these five goals – become a better leader, an All-Star starter, a two-way guard, improve his assist numbers, and lead Charlotte past the second round of the playoffs, then not only will he continue to be an elite guard, his name might even be in the MVP conversation.