Charlotte Hornets: Ranking all 5 starters for the 2021-22 season

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 08: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Charlotte Hornets and LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets react after defeating the New Orleans Pelicans during a NBA game at Smoothie King Center on January 08, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

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Charlotte Hornets starters ranked: 4. C Mason Plumlee

Mason Plumlee is the only new acquisition who will be cracking the starting lineup for the Hornets, at least at the beginning of the season. It may appear to be a boring get, but true NBA fans know there’s much more than what meets the eye with the center.

Plumlee comes by the way of Detroit, where he spent one season, his first as a full-time starter in several years. Unsurprisingly, the increased playing time allowed him to put up some of the best numbers of his career, averaging 10.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

Plumlee also showed a surprising amount of versatility with the Pistons, recording the first two triple-doubles of his career. He’s a solid facilitator for a big man without a shooting game, averaging 3.6 assists per game last year, the most of his career.

The center had a true shooting percentage of 63.8 percent in 2020-21, which ranked 17th in the NBA. His biggest weakness, however, is that he can’t shoot a lick beyond the paint. He has only made two three-pointers in his entire career. He hit 31.6 percent of his two-point attempts from 16 feet away or more last year, but that constituted just 0.05 percent of his field-goal attempts.

Kai Jones is going to come for his job eventually, but Plumlee should hold down the starting role as long as he’s healthy all year.

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