Best Available Free Agents to Fill Backup Point Guard Need for Hornets
While most fans of the Charlotte Hornets and the NBA at large will have their attention set on Summer League action, there is always time to think about how the regular season roster will take shape. The team seems to have a plethora of off-ball guards, wings and big guys to fill out the roster, but one key need still seems to be unfilled at backup point guard.
Looking back at the 2021-2022 season, LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier were your primary ball handlers for much of the season. They played a ton of minutes together with Terry sliding to the off-ball role in most cases, but former head coach James Borrego usually tried to have at least one of them on the floor at all times. The need for an additional play-maker was clear, and the Hornets were able to bring in Isaiah Thomas on March 2nd on the first of what became two 10-day contracts before officially signing with the team on March 22nd for the remainder of the season. Isaiah served an important role for the team off the bench, appearing in 17 games while averaging 8.3 points and 1.4 assists per game. He averaged 12.9 minutes per game and shot 39.7% from three and 46.8% inside the arc. He did prove to be a tremendous value both on and off the court with his leadership and veteran credibility. Isaiah has expressed interest in coming back to Charlotte for next season in a similar role, but he remains unsigned at this point.
Filling the backup point guard role is crucial to the success of the Charlotte Hornets. With LaMelo Ball cemented as your number one ball handler and rising all-star, it seems as though Terry Rozier is best used as an off-ball guard to take advantage of his movement shooting. Rozier has become a better passer and has shown the ability to get to the rim and kick the ball out to open shooters as the defense collapses, but relying on him to provide that for the team when LaMelo is on the bench would limit where he really excels. Terry is excellent at running around screens and pin downs to find open space on the floor to get shots up and knock them down. Forcing him into a play-making role on a regular basis would take that volume shooting away from an offense that really needs it.
James Bouknight could be seen as the other internal candidate to take over point guard duties when Ball is off the floor, but his best usage may also be as an off-ball guard. Similar to Terry, Bouknight certainly has the passing ability to set up teammates with good looks, but pairing a primary point guard with him on the floor might be what's needed to get the best out of him. He can then focus on attacking and finishing at the rim which he projects so well at. Developing into a player who could take on primary play-making responsibilities is certainly within the realm of possibilities but should not be relied upon this upcoming season if Charlotte wants to return to the playoffs.
Diving into the statistics from this past season, you see that the Hornets had a 67.1 assist percentage when LaMelo Ball was on the floor, and only a 63.1% when he wasn't. Even though Ball is one of the most gifted passers in the NBA with floor vision better than most, that discrepancy in assist percentage should stand out and be a target to improve upon for next season. Charlotte has so many offensive weapons to roll out, and they should be looking for players who can keep the ball moving and creating open shots for teammates when Ball sits. Comparing this to other primary point guards in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers only saw a dip of two percentage points when Chris Paul and James Harden sat for their respective teams. Upgrading the backup point guard spot could go a long way in helping improve Charlotte's offensive efficiency.
Another area the backup point guard spot can help the Hornets improve on is defense. Bringing back Steve Clifford as head coach should help tremendously in that regard, but they also need more defensive minded players on the perimeter. Terry and LaMelo shine on the offensive end, but bringing a strong defender who can also play make for others on the offensive end would be huge. One of the main questions about bringing Isaiah Thomas back to handle this role would be whether or not his offensive savvy outweighs his play on the other end of the court. A lead guard who can make things difficult for opposing guards on the defensive end and who could also keep the ball moving and find teammates for open shots should be a priority for the Hornets.
Let's get to some free agent options still on the market:
Kemba Walker
In the midst of what has been a tumultuous off-season so far for the Hornets, it would be difficult to find a better feel-good story than bringing back possibly the most beloved Charlotte Hornet in franchise history. Kemba Walker could be just what fans are looking for, but does it make sense from an on-court perspective? He wouldn't particularly aid the struggles on the defensive end mentioned earlier, but he was a member of those defenses that finished near the top of the league under Steve Clifford a few years ago so it's not necessarily a deal-breaker right off the bat. Health and age are for sure a risk in this situation however.
As long as Kemba would be willing to accept that this would no longer be his team and he would be joining to primarily serve as a back up, this option could really work out. Steve Clifford has commonly preferred to run spread pick and roll with his offenses, and Kemba became an all-star doing just that for those teams. It is yet to be seen how Clifford will run his offense with an excellent distributor in Ball and a team built to get out and play fast, but when LaMelo has to sit he might be looking for a lead guard to run his offense the same way Kemba did a few years ago. Walker is still an excellent passer who knows how to pick apart defenses. His outside shot will force other teams to pay attention to him and could open up space for teammates. In the game against the Hornets this past season at Spectrum Center, Walker had an excellent game offensively scoring 26 points and showing that he can still be an offensive threat.
In the time since Walker has left Charlotte he has struggled to stay healthy and maintain the all-star play he once knew, but a return to Buzz City could be exactly what both sides need.
Dennis Schroder
Dennis appeared in 49 games last season for the Boston Celtics, but was traded to Houston right before the trade deadline and ended up playing 15 games there. He averaged 13.5 points and almost 5 assists per game. He is mostly viewed as a score first guard, but the 5 assists per game last season show that he can be more than that. His shooting and ability to get to the rim would be a huge value to this Hornets team. Charlotte should be looking to add players that can put pressure on the rim given the current Miles Bridges situation. Although Bouknight seeing the floor this season would add rim pressure to this offense, bringing in Dennis as well would only aid in that department. If you can get him to buy into the role, this could be a really good middle of July signing.
Eric Bledsoe
Perhaps the best defensive point guard option left in free agency would be Eric Bledsoe. He played in 54 games this past season in Los Angeles for the Clippers while averaging 9.9 points, 4.2 assists and 25.2 minutes per game. His overall offensive game and shooting splits do not make for the best option available on that end, but he is a very strong guard who can really put pressure on the rim and find open teammates.
Bledsoe could make a big impact on the defensive end of the court. Even with the re-signing of Cody Martin, Charlotte still needs to add capable perimeter defenders to improve their defense. Bledsoe would be a tremendous option to do just that as he can use his extremely strong frame and veteran experience to make an immediate impact. In 2019, Bledsoe was selected to the NBA's all-defensive 1st team so he could still have something left to give as a rotational guard in the league. However, this signing would come with great risk as he is currently recovering from an Achilles injury.
Austin Rivers
Austin Rivers would be another interesting target for the backup point guard spot. The former Duke Blue Devil could be interested in coming back to the state of North Carolina and play for the Charlotte Hornets. His best season came with the Clippers in 2017-2018 when he averaged 15 points per game, but he only averaged just 6 PPG last season with the Denver Nuggets. Rivers has shot 35% from three for his career, so defenses would need to respect that aspect of his game. He also has a very crafty handle and has kept turnovers low throughout his time in the NBA. His ability to come in off the bench and run the second unit could prove to be valuable. Although, it would be interesting to see if the front office could convince Michael Jordan to approve this move after the Austin Rivers' buzzer beater to defeat UNC back in 2012.
At this point in the off-season, most of the "big" name free agents have already been scooped up by teams. The only signing the Charlotte Hornets have made to this point was to bring back Cody Martin on a four-year deal, but the back up point guard spot should be looked at. Whether it's bringing back Isaiah Thomas or signing one of the available outside free agents, Mitch Kupchak and the front office should be looking to add some punch off the bench to help get this Charlotte team back to the playoffs.
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