Should Devonte Graham’s recent shooting worry Hornets fans? Are buyouts coming?
What’s up with Devonte Graham’s scoring and shooting lately?
Entering Saturday night’s home game against the Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets point guard Graham has gone four games without reaching his season average of 18 points. He totaled 40 points in that span, shooting 13 of 43 from the field and 8 of 35 from 3-point range.
Graham, who will be in the Rising Stars game and 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend, has had a breakout second season. However, he hasn’t been nearly as efficient the past three weeks as he was early in the season.
Some Hornets fans wonder if that’s a blip or a concern. That leads this week’s Hornets mailbag:
IS GRAHAM SLUMPING OR IS THIS REGRESSION TO THE MEAN?
I think the most precise description of what is happening is scouting reports have caught up to Graham’s improvement. That’s not only inevitable, it’s a natural step in a young player becoming established in the NBA.
Kemba Walker went through the same experience his first few seasons here; defenses focusing on taking away his strengths, and him having to come up with counter-measures.
“That’s how growth happens,” coach James Borrego said of strategies defense are throwing at Graham.
“The beauty in all this is Devonte is getting a ton of attention (from defenses). He’s getting everybody’s best shot and all the schemes are different. Now this is giving him another level of experience — a platform to raise his level. Now we know what he needs to work on moving forward into the summer.”
Graham has taken 62 percent of his total shots this season from 3-point range, and has made 36 percent of those 3s. Defenses work to chase him off the 3-point line, and make him make decisions in the mid-range. His shooting accuracy drops dramatically — to around 25 percent this season — on attempts between three and 16 feet from the basket.
As Borrego said, addressing that is what off-seasons are for, and Graham is a smart, mature guy. He might just need time — as Walker did here — to expand his game.
IS A CONTRACT EXTENSION FOR GRAHAM LIKELY THIS SUMMER?
I expect the Hornets to offer him an extension in July, the earliest that’s allowed. NBA rules limit how much they can offer before Graham becomes a restricted free agent in the summer of 2021. The fact that the Hornets dip well below the salary cap in July isn’t particularly relevant to a Graham extension.
Would Graham take the security of a contract in July (I’m guessing with $40 million or more guaranteed) or bet on himself and wait until restricted free agency a year later? No way of knowing.
ANY THOUGHTS ON THE HORNETS DOING BUYOUTS?
ESPN first reported Friday night that Marvin Williams’s representatives and the Hornets are in buyout discussions that could result in his release. That would allow him to sign with a contender in time to be eligible for that team’s playoff roster.
I could see Michael Kidd-Gilchrist similarly looking into a buyout. He has played in only 12 games this season, and Borrego is leaning more than ever toward playing young guys.
Understand what a buyout is: A player gives up some of his remaining guaranteed salary in return for being released. Those discussions are usually player-initiated, not team-initiated. The Hornets don’t need to create a roster spot, so releasing a player would be a money decision, not a basketball decision.
MIGHT THE HORNETS PLAY SOME SMALL-BALL THE REST OF THIS SEASON?
Definitely. The rest of this Hornets season is about experimentation and evaluation. You saw the Hornets play rookie P.J. Washington some at center in Houston (the Rockets play small a lot), and that won’t be the last time they try that.
“I can see P.J. at some 5 (center) and Miles (Bridges) at the 4 (power forward). That’s definitely something our group needs to take a look at moving forward,” Borrego said Friday. “The league is moving in that direction — not everybody, but in most games there will be a small-ball opportunity.”
I don’t think Washington will play a lot of center over his NBA career, but the Hornets have two players in Washington and Bridges who are both best suited at power forward in the NBA. Bridges is playing small forward, but he’s better suited at the power position. Eventually, the Hornets might have to choose between those two as a long-term starter.
WOULD YOU USE CAP ROOM THIS SUMMER TO SIGN FREE AGENTS, OR WAIT?
In September, Kupchak said the Hornets would not be major bidders for free agents in the summer of 2020, despite likely being more than $20 million below the salary cap in July.
“We’re not going to get the ‘Big Fish,’” Kupchak told the Observer, saying that it’s too early in this roster makeover to convince difference-making free agents to play in Charlotte.
I agree that burning through new-found cap space on whatever is available in the 2020 free-agent class could be a regrettable decision. The last time the Hornets chased a name free agent, they signed Lance Stephenson, and that was a disaster. If this rebuild takes a deliberate pace, I’m OK with that.
I appreciate why fans are exasperated with what will be a fourth consecutive Hornets season without the playoffs. But I’m wary of quick fixes after the Stephenson and Dwight Howard experiences.
WILL HORNETS BRING UP CALEB MARTIN FROM G-LEAGUE LATER THIS SEASON?
I asked Borrego a week ago if he anticipates rookies Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels spending much time in Charlotte, rather than the Greensboro Swarm, the balance of the season.
Borrego said it’s “possible,” but didn’t elaborate. Here’s some context:
Borrego always says if a developmental player isn’t getting minutes in Charlotte, then he’s better off playing in Greensboro. Rookie Cody Martin (now in the concussion protocol) has been in Charlotte the past two months because he had a real role in the rotation.
What’s changed is Borrego is playing the veterans less than ever the past week. I could see that meaning Caleb (Cody’s twin brother) and McDaniels spend more time in Charlotte. But I’d be surprised if they stopped playing primarily in Greensboro through the end of the Swarm’s season.
This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Should Devonte Graham’s recent shooting worry Hornets fans? Are buyouts coming?."
