Frank Kaminsky had the breakout game everyone was waiting for
Charlotte Hornets forward Frank Kaminsky has a ton of pressure bearing down on his seven-foot frame. The ninth overall pick in last June's draft could've been so much more for the team that was obsessed with picking him.
He could've been a small basket of first-round picks, courtesy of the Boston Celtics. He could've been Justise Winslow, a versatile wing who's drawn rave reviews all year in a key bench role with the Miami Heat.
Instead, Kaminsky is just Kaminsky, a regular rookie who's yet to firmly entrench himself in the rotation of a potential playoff team. But on Wednesday night against the Celtics, he had the best game of his professional career.
Here's more on what happened, courtesy of The Charlotte Observer:
Kaminsky's game-high 23 points were impressive, even if they came on 20 shots. He was aggressive, and that's all that matters at this stage. The best is (probably) yet to come.
He’s shooting 37 percent from 3-point range, which is promising but not unexpected. Where he has surprised is in the low post. He is arguably the Hornets’ second-best low-post option behind Al Jefferson; Batum would be the only other Charlotte player in such a discussion. He’s crafty and a good dribbler for his size. Kaminsky had a late growth spurt in high school that made him a big man. Up to that point he had viewed basketball from a guard’s perspective. “I’m comfortable in both places,” Kaminsky said of the perimeter and the lane. “Obviously I learned to play on the perimeter first, but in college I tried really hard to develop a post game. I like playing in the post with the mismatches and such. I’m pretty much comfortable anywhere at the offensive end.” The defense is a slower process, but the guy has already demonstrated he belongs. Miami got Winslow, the Celtics kept their picks and the Hornets found a keeper.
