Charlotte Hornets: 3 reasons Tony Parker is a good addition

3. The Hornets have options at point guard

Kemba Walker has had the following point guards back him up at some point over the last six seasons: Jannero Pargo, Ramon Sessions, Luke Ridnour, Brian Roberts, Mo Williams, Jorge Gutierrez, Briante Weber, Marcus Paige and Michael Carter-Williams.

That list doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in playing your second unit when your star player has to sit. Tony Parker may have averaged just 7.7 points and 3.5 assists per game last season, but even his worst season is as good if not better than the career numbers of almost anyone on the above list.

Head coach James Borrego will likely still push Kemba Walker for 33-34 minutes per game, but having Tony Parker around could allow Walker to play less than 34 minutes per game for the first time since his rookie season.

While Parker didn’t have great per game numbers last season, his per 36 minutes stats show he still has some left in the tank, as his 2017-18 season numbers were in line with his previous two seasons. Over the last three seasons, Parker has averaged 14.9 points, 6.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds per 36 minutes.

Even if Parker can’t replicate the last few seasons, he still gives this squad an experienced and smart backup point guard that Kemba hasn’t seen in his career, providing the boost the second unit needs.

This will also take pressure off of Devonte’ Graham, the Hornets’ 2018 second round pick, to have to immediately take on the backup role. Since Graham recently got hurt in Summer League play, Tony Parker is even more of a necessity than first realized.