Charlotte Hornets: Can you win with Kemba Walker as your best player?

The Charlotte Hornets are in a tough spot heading into the 2018-19 NBA season. Can Kemba Walker be the best player on a winning team?

The Charlotte Hornets are entering the 2018-19 NBA season coming off a very disappointing 2017-18 campaign where they finished with a 36-46 record, failing to make the playoffs for the second straight season.

The Hornets’ best player, Kemba Walker, is also entering the final year of his contract with the team, meaning if they want to keep him around long-term, they better find a way to win some more games. If the Hornets can put it together and win enough games to get in the playoffs, they’ll have a better chance of signing Kemba to a long-term deal, likely keeping him in a Charlotte uniform for the next 4-5 years.

So what have the Hornets done to improve? They made some solid acquisitions over the offseason, including drafting a nice wing in Miles Bridges and signing a veteran point guard in Tony Parker.

However, despite the offseason moves that they made, Charlotte is still faced with the same question that it’s been staring at for a few seasons: Can you field a winning team with Kemba Walker as your best player?

Last season, Walker averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game on 43.1 percent shooting from the field and 38.4 percent shooting from 3-point range. All of that was enough to earn Kemba his second consecutive All-Star appearance.

The question isn’t, “Is Kemba Walker a good player?” The answer to that question is a very loud yes. The question is, “Can you win with Kemba Walker as your best player?” The answer to that question is a bit foggier.

Let’s start by defining the term “win.”

Can the Hornets win an NBA championship with Kemba Walker as their best player? I mean… it’s not looking great. Walker is a really solid player, but with how top-loaded the NBA is right now, Kemba won’t be out-dueling LeBron James or a Kevin Durant/Stephen Curry tandem anytime soon.

However, can the Hornets make it to the Eastern Conference semifinals (or maybe even the Eastern Conference Finals) with Kemba Walker as their best player? I legitimately believe they can.

Kemba doesn’t have great size or athleticism, but he has a unique ability to create shots for himself or teammates and then capitalize on those opportunities by making tough shots or making the correct pass. His handle is elite, his shot-making off the dribble is impressive and his vision is good enough.

Kemba can’t do it all by himself, though. His supporting cast needs to step up and help him. Hopefully, the offseason additions of guys like the aforementioned Miles Bridges and Tony Parker (among others) will help with that. If the supporting cast plays even decent basketball next season, the Hornets will be able to surprise some people around the NBA and make a fairly deep playoff run.

Kemba Walker is absolutely the real deal and in a weak Eastern Conference, the Hornets can absolutely win games (and multiple playoff series) with him as their best player. They just need to give him more help to get there.