Charlotte Hornets: Reasons to be excited in a rebuilding year

1. Charlotte isn’t paying Kemba Walker megabucks to choke in the clutch

Kemba Walker is one of the worst clutch players of all time. When shooting in the last five minutes of regulation or overtime to tie or take the lead, the shots that got compiled into shoe and sports drink commercials when Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan used to take them, Walker is atrocious.

The Hornets won 36 games in both 2016-17 and 2017-18 despite outscoring their opponents over the course of the season in both years. At several points last season, the Hornets had a positive point differential and a losing record.

Between the start of the 2016-17 season and Nov. 28, 2018 (when that article I linked was published), the Hornets were 4-25 in games decided by one possession.

Boston just paid a clutch choker an average of $35 million a year to miss shots in crunch time for them. Walker only made $12 million each of the last four years in Charlotte.

Whoever rises up to take those shots down the stretch for the Hornets, he will inevitably be better than the guy Charlotte had.

And that will mean a lot less fan anger after losing a close, winnable game with such regularity that it costs the team playoff spots.

That won’t matter this season. But it will be critical when the team inevitably drafts its way back to relevance in a few years.