Last season, Kemba Walker averaged over 23 points per game while dishing out five and a half assists and only giving up two turnovers per game. In addition, he was a 40% shooter from three. Kemba is a scorer and he is at his best when he is scoring for the Hornets. He is not a traditional point guard, but he can help his team be successful. He is a great offensive player and he is devastating in the pick and roll and is one of the best pick and roll players in the league. According to stats.nba.com, pick and rolls made up of almost 55% of his offensive possessions last season. In those possessions, Kemba Walker produced 0.98 points per possession, good enough to be in the 86th percentile in the NBA. Walker is also a deadly spot up player. Ten percent of his offensive possessions came in spot up situations and he was in the 96th percentile of the NBA. This is what makes Walker so valuable offensively. He is great with the ball and off the ball. This allows other players on the team like Nicolas Batum to become facilitators.
The other thing that makes Kemba Walker so valuable is that he is on a ridiculous contract. He signed a 4 year 48 million dollar deal in 2014 meaning that he has two more seasons for the Hornets at 12 million per year. This gives the Hornets a chance to make moves like they did this summer by trading for Dwight Howard. If he continues to improve, he will become much more expensive after his contract is up. They have a long way to go, but Stephen Curry's contract extension that paid him a salary similar to Walker's helped the Warriors be able to put together a great team. Walker is not the shooter that Curry is, but he is a great player and the Hornets have drafted a rookie in Malik Monk that many scouts think will score at a high level in the NBA.
The Hornets had a rough season last year despite only having minimal injuries and getting over 70 games from Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. While the Hornets have some talent, they struggle defensively. Kemba is going to get some help from Dwight Howard and there are high hopes for rookie Malik Monk. Dwight Howard has a chance to be special again on this team. He is going to improve their defense and he could become a devastating pick and roll partner for Kemba Walker if he is willing. Walker had a career year last year and made his first All-Star team, but in the depleted East it is time for the Hornets to make a move into the postseason and win. I love the Hornets and the way that they are constructed. They have some good offensive players that are versatile and they are relatively young. The future is bright for the Hornets.