National Basketball Association

Charlotte Hornets: What Can We Expect From Kemba Walker in the 2016-17 Season?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With a breakout season in 2015-16, Kemba Walker vaulted into the top floor generals in the league. What can the Charlotte Hornets expect in the 2016-17 season?

Kemba Walker was an absolute monster in college. In his junior and final season with UCONN(2011), he won both the Lute Olsen and Bob Cousy awards. Walker also won the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player Award on his way to winning a national championship. Despite all the accolades and success Kemba achieved in his collegiate career, he had mostly struggled in his NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets.

Drafted by the then Charlotte Bobcats in 2011 with the 9th overall pick, Kemba was wildly inefficient. Cracking 39% shooting only once before 2015-16, Walker was labeled as a volume gunner. Averaging around 17 points per game his career, Kemba took a drastic leap in efficiency and production this past season.

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Breakout Season

Kemba definitely upped his game last season. The additions of additional ball-handlers like Nicholas Batum and Jeremy Lin took Kemba to new heights. Able to delegate some of his facilitating duties, Walker was able to focus on scoring.

This allowed him to average career highs in points, FG%, 3P%, FT%, and rebounds. With now respectable percentages with a 42.7 FG% and 37.1 3P%, Kemba was able to lead the Hornets to a 48-34 season. All these factors nearly accumulated into an All-Star selection and a Most Improved Player Award, where Kemba finished second.

Looking Forward

With the departures of valuable guards like Lin and Courtney Lee, Walker will have to do more than he did last year. However, the roster around him still suits his needs and I believe with his improvements Kemba will do better than ever before. Charlotte has slowly formed an identity over the years, and their 6’1 point guard is the main focus.

Although Ramon Sessions will be valuable, Kemba won’t have the luxury of Jeremy Lin playing alongside him. The increase in his usage rate will likely result in a statistical improvement. Nothing crazy, but I expect a solid 22 ppg, 6 apg, 4 rpg, and 2 steals.

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