Charlotte Hornets: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

2. Kemba Walker received help this offseason

Thanks to some solid draft picks and a prolific free agency signing, Kemba Walker may have some true help heading into the 2018-19 season. For starters, the Hornets probably gave him the best backup point guard he’s had in his time in Charlotte in Tony Parker.

Parker presents a big upgrade over Michael Carter-Williams (who signed with the Rockets shortly after Parker signed with Charlotte). Last season, Parker (7.6 points per game) outscored MCW (4.6 per game) and out-assisted him as well (3.5 to 2.2 assists per game).

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Draft night saw another point guard selected in the second round, when the Hornets took Devonte’ Graham. A native of North Carolina, Graham played four years of college ball under Bill Self at Kansas.

Graham could be an immediate contributor, even if for only a few minutes a game thanks to his experience playing already. Graham was an excellent shooter his final season in Kansas, scoring 17.3 points per game on 40 percent shooting; he hit 40.6 of his 3-point attempts as a senior as well.

The biggest acquisition this offseason came in the form of their first round draft pick. Charlotte originally selected Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at pick No. 11, but then the Clippers traded the 12th pick of the draft to the Hornets in exchange for SGA. The Hornets then selected another player they coveted in Miles Bridges.

Rarely do top players go back to college if they could project to be a top-15 or even top-10 draft pick, but Bridges did. His production took a slight hit in his points and rebounds per game, but he still averaged 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game over two seasons. Bridges was a 53.7 percent shooter in college, hitting 37.5 percent of his 3-pointers.

He will be a great tweener for this team, able to play the 4 when the Hornets go small, but step out and shoot the 3 when needed, which could take a lot of burden off of Kemba Walker’s shoulders.