Charlotte Hornets: 3 players facing the most pressure in 2018-19

2. Nicolas Batum

As we talk about contracts on the Charlotte Hornets, we go from Kaminsky’s cheap rookie deal to the team’s most expensive contract in Nicolas Batum. That alone should put pressure on Batum to perform, whether it’s for the Hornets or to attract a suitor to be traded to.

Regardless of his contract though, Batum has already put pressure on himself, and the team, by expressing the desire to be the team’s starting small forward.

This tweet came after Batum had tweeted out praise for Malik Monk. Batum then followed that up by tweeting small forward is his natural position. This does not mean Batum is automatically the starting small forward, but with a new coaching staff, he clearly wants to do everything he can to take his natural spot back.

However, Batum missed 18 games last season, the most he’s missed since 2011-12. On top of that, his 11.6 points per game were his lowest mark as a Hornet and his 4.8 rebounds per game were his lowest since 2011-12.

To get back to playing small forward, Batum needs to get his stroke back from beyond the arc as well. He hit 36.3 percent of his 3-point attempts while with the Portland Trail Blazers, but his shooting touch has declined to 34.0 percent in his three seasons with Charlotte.

On the upside, Batum has become more of a distributor with the Hornets; the 2017-18 season saw him tally 5.5 dimes per game — his third straight season of five or more assists per game. He did that just once in Portland.

Maybe a true move to small forward will help Batum. Maybe a new system will be good for him. However, in today’s NBA where traditional positions are always being redefined, Batum needs to step up a few aspects of his game to be a key piece for the Hornets.