Here are our player scouting reports and 2015-16 projections for the Charlotte Hornets.
Projected starters
Kemba Walker
Position: Guard
Experience: 4 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Undersized volume shooter who seems to have plateaued
+ Signature nasty crossover into mid-range jumper but a subpar passer
+ Takes care of the ball but a mediocre defensive player
Analysis
At what point do the Hornets move on from Walker? It's the third straight season the Hornets have watched Walker score 17-something points per game on volume, not efficiency -- and it's the third straight season with the Charlotte offense in the tank.
Walker isn't a natural distributor (5.4 assists per 36 minutes), but he keeps his turnovers to a minimum mostly because he's settling for easy mid-range jumpers so often. He has never been a threat from the outside, and while his long 2 mid-range jumper is solid, he gets himself in trouble in the 10 to 16 foot range where he shot just 30 percent.
It's a good thing he gets to the line as often as he does because he sports one of the worst effective field-goal percentages of any starting guard in the league. At some point, the Hornets have to make a decision whether Walker is their point guard of the future or a scoring supersub like Lou Williams or Jamal Crawford. That's not a bad thing.
Nicolas Batum
Position: Forward
Experience: 7 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Skinny but skilled point forward coming off a down year
+ Sneaky good playmaker who takes care of the ball but has a waning 3-point shot
+ Solid defensively but not strong enough to play stretch 4
Analysis
Batum probably hasn't fully realized what he can be as an NBA player. He took a big step backward last season in Portland with career-lows in 2-point and 3-point percentage. He stopped getting to the rim and became a strictly perimeter playmaker. His assist rate (4.8 dimes per 36 minutes) ranks third among forwards behind LeBron James and Blake Griffin.
The Hornets have sorely lacked a secondary playmaker ever since Josh McRoberts left town, so they'll be thrilled to get the pressure release. Batum has to do better from downtown as he shot just 32.4 percent overall and just 35.9 percent from the corners, where he used to be deadly. Thus his scoring rate has dropped each of the past three seasons when he should be coming into his prime.
Defensively, he's a solid wing who can pick up guards on occasion, but he lacks the strength to play the power forward full time. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist taking the small forward position, it'll be interesting to see how Steve Clifford doles out the minutes on the wing. Expect a much-improved Batum this season.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Position: Forward
Experience: 3 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Defensive stalwart with range of a 7-foot stiff with injury issues
+ Extremely high motor, excellent rebounder and foul-drawer
+ Revamped shot mechanics. Signed four-year extension
Analysis
Update: Kidd-Gilchrist is out for six months after suffering a torn labrum and having surgery on Oct. 5.
Kidd-Gilchrist didn't take a single 3-pointer last season, becoming the first wing player to do so while logging over 1,500 minutes since Desmond Mason in 2007-08. There just aren't players like him in the modern NBA. Amazingly, he's much improved as a jump shooter, doubling his mid-range makes last season from 2013-14, but he still has the range of a broken Wi-Fi router compared to the rest of his peers.
Kidd-Gilchrist's uniqueness goes beyond his M.I.A. jump shot. He's an elite defender (third in defensive RPM at his position) despite almost never stealing the ball. By comparison, MKG's top comp, Tony Allen, has four times the steal rate as the former No. 2 overall pick. But Kidd-Gilchrist bottles up his opponents and holds them to a mere 14.0 PER, according to 82games tracking, despite routinely picking up the team's best perimeter player.
He's an elite cutter who desperately needs to play with a crafty distributor (Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin don't count). Otherwise, Kidd-Gilchrist's offensive firepower is muffled to just transition opportunities. He signed a four-year, $52 million extension that rewards him for his defensive and glass-cleaning exploits, but it's clear he still has a long ways to go before he lives up to his draft slot. Also worth noting: he's five months younger than Frank Kaminsky.
Marvin Williams
Position: Forward
Experience: 10 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Big tweener reborn as stretch 4 shooting specialist
+ Lives in the corners and top of the key, rarely ventures into paint
+ Solid defender, but limited offensively
Analysis
About to enter his 30s, Williams has evolved into a completely different player than he was projected coming into the NBA out of North Carolina. He's now a Matt Bonner-type role player who camps out beyond the 3-point line and tries to stretch the defense. With no playmaking ability, Williams isn't nearly as skilled on the perimeter as his Charlotte predecessor Josh McRoberts, but Williams is a sniper from the corners, where he made 47 percent of his attempts.
Here's the issue: No one respected him out there. According to SportVU player-tracking data provided to ESPN Insider, Williams' gravity score was well below-average for his position even though that was his primary job -- to keep the defense honest. For reference, his stretch indicators were nowhere near the respect ratings of the Ryan Andersons and Channing Fryes of the NBA.
If Williams doesn't add value as a floor-spacer, then it's hard to justify his starting gig. He'll need to add a secondary weapon if he wants to cash in on a big contract this summer when he becomes a free agent. Frank Kaminsky could take his job.
Al Jefferson
Position: Center
Experience: 11 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Oft-injured monster big man with retro game
+ Lives on left block and has soft touch but not a gifted passer
+ Rebounding and defense in decline and turnover allergic
Analysis
It's brutal to watch Jefferson limp around the floor these days. After dealing with plantar fasciitis in the 2014 playoffs, Jefferson missed a chunk of the season dealing with knee problems and vowed to lose weight this offseason in an effort to stay on the floor.
Hopefully that does it. Jefferson is a relic from another time, a bear on the left block who can methodically maul defenders with skill and precision. He used 8.6 close touches per game, according to SportVU player-tracking data, the second-highest rate in the NBA behind Dwight Howard. In fact, Jefferson tallied more points on the post-up plays last season than 13 entire NBA rosters, per Synergy Sports tracking. Monster.
He's a remarkably sure-handed player, coughing up the ball just 1.8 times per 100 possessions, absurdly low for a go-to scorer. However, at 30 years old, Jefferson's body has been breaking down, which has led to a decline in numbers across the board. After a promising 2013-14 defensive campaign, the Hornets were considerably better on that end when he hit the bench. Here's to hoping he enjoys a Zach Randolph-like resurgence.
Reserves
Jeremy Lin
Position: Guard
Experience: 4 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Attacking point guard with solid outside shot
+ Underrated distributor who gets to the line
+ Average defender who collects steals but tends to foul
Analysis
After having to share the ball with Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, James Harden and Carmelo Anthony the past few years, it must be a relief for Lin to head to Charlotte where they don't have a surplus of shot creators. Lin will always be measured against the Linsanity streak in New York, but he's a solid third guard who can do a bunch of things with the ball.
Last season, Lin worked hard to regain his confidence off the dribble. He shot a miserable 26.5 percent on 3s off the dribble in 2013-14 as he was mostly asked to catch and shoot next to Harden. But Lin was much more efficient last season there (37.3 percent), especially when he was asked to come off the bench.
Lin is perfectly suited to carry the scoring load in the second unit, but so is Kemba Walker. If Clifford wants more size and shooting, he should take a hard look at Lin running the team.
Frank Kaminsky
Position: Forward
Experience: Rookie
2015 draft profile
Scouting report
+ Slow, skilled big man who can score from anywhere
+ Perhaps best post-up big man in draft but questions about strength and defense
+ Contrary to popular belief, he is not Dirk Nowitzki
Analysis
Kaminsky was not just a good shooter at Wisconsin, he was a great one. In a league that's tilting beyond the arc, Kaminsky shot 41.6 percent of his 3s last season for the Badgers, drilling them at a high rate especially at the top of the key. The Hornets fill a need there for sure.
But the worry is Kaminsky isn't strong enough to stick it with NBA-level bigs. He'll turn 23 years old this upcoming season, so he's not just beginning to fill out his frame like the others in his draft class. He finished among the most efficient high-volume post-up players in the NCAA last season, according to Synergy Sports tracking, but you have to wonder if that lofty ranking was more seniority or skill.
He will be tested at the NBA level from the get-go. With Cody Zeller recovering from shoulder surgery, Noah Vonleh being sent to Portland and Bismack Biyombo going north to the Raptors, there's every opportunity for Kaminsky to defy Michael Jordan's ugly track record of drafting bigs.
Cody Zeller
Position: Forward
Experience: 2 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Bouncy 7-footer who can't score reliably outside of easy dunks
+ Loves pick-and-pops but has to improve rolling game
+ Solid rebounder and rim protector who had shoulder surgery in April
Analysis
So much for a breakout season. The Hornets had high expectations for Zeller as he stepped into the starting lineup next to Al Jefferson, but the second-year big man struggled to find his rhythm as a full-time power forward.
Zeller really finds it hard to score unless it's a bunny around the rim. His pick-and-pop jumper was much improved since his rookie season, but it's still barely average on a good day. For someone who checked in with the same max vertical reach as Tyson Chandler and Tristan Thompson, according DraftExpress predraft measurements, Zeller should be a devastating lob threat, but he didn't convert a single alley-oop last season. And he shot 42.6 percent on layups, which is not great.
Defensively, he's mobile enough to guard 4s, but it's not a good sign that for the second straight year the Hornets drafted at his position (Noah Vonleh and Frank Kaminsky). It doesn't breed confidence that his top statistical comp, according to SCHOENE database, is Michael Jordan's most infamous bust, Kwame Brown. After recovering from shoulder surgery, Zeller, a fourth overall pick in 2013, has an uphill climb to not be lumped in the same group as Brown.
Tyler Hansbrough
Position: Forward
Experience: 6 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Formerly NBA's most gifted foul-drawer but refs have caught up
+ Never passes, never stops pump-faking and lost jumper
+ Solid rebounder but too small to protect rim
Analysis
Hansbrough slid over to the center position for the Toronto Raptors last season and predictably gave up a ridiculous 58.1 percent at the rim when he was nearby, one of the worst rates in the league. Despite that red-carpet service, the Raptors were shockingly good on defense with Hansbrough lining up at the 5, allowing just 101.6 points per 100 possessions compared to the 106 points per 100 possessions with him on the bench.
Of course, a lot of that is artificially low because of second units, but it's something to keep an eye on. Hansbrough has morphed into a restricted-area-dwelling center even though he has shown he can knock down a 20-foot jumper. In 2010-11, he shot 45.2 percent on 217 long 2s for Indiana, a top-20 rate in the league. Last season, he attempted seven total. Seven. Just a weird vanishing act of an important weapon.
Hansbrough's purge of the mid-range shot has helped his efficiency (he shot 52.1 percent last season), and it has also allowed him to continue getting to the charity stripe, which is his calling card. Hansbrough's days as a scorer may be over, but he still agitates with the best of them. A no-doubt fan favorite in Charlotte.
Spencer Hawes
Position: Center
Experience: 8 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Soft big man who loves the pick-and-pop 3-pointer
+ Good passer on the move but not a shot blocker
+ Needs to play more at center
Analysis
Less than a month after Doc Rivers said it was going to be a big summer for Hawes because "we're going to need him," Rivers dealt him to Charlotte. Guess not? Hawes was a disaster in Los Angeles, shooting below 40 percent from the floor, and he pretended to be a shooting guard.
One of the issues was Hawes was playing out of position a bunch. Slotted next to DeAndre Jordan, Hawes was forced to guard smaller 4s and struggled to fit into the offense with all the inside space dedicated to Jordan. Hawes saw his per-minute stats plummet across the board including his points, rebounds, assists and shooting percentages. Virtually the only thing that went up was his foul rate, which jumped up to 4.9 fouls per 36 minutes.
Hawes can mentor Kaminsky as the rook gets his feet wet in the NBA, but the Hornets better hope the 2013-14 version shows up, not the 2014-15 one. Hawes can be a useful player as long as he realizes he's not a 7-foot-1 guard.
Brian Roberts
Position: Guard
Experience: 3 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Tiny backup combo guard with waning jumper
+ No transition game, despite size, and lacks vision
+ Money at the line but a defensive liability
Analysis
Turning 30 years old in December, Roberts has to prove he's still a serviceable backup in the NBA. His 3-point shot has been in decline for two straight seasons, it's down to 32.1 percent, and he only dishes out 4.4 assists per 36 minutes, another one of his ratios in freefall over the past few seasons.
If you're standing 6-foot-1, you have to either shoot, distribute or create steals at an above-average level to stick in the NBA. And he does none of that these days. He's automatic at the free-throw line, but he wastes that talent by avoiding the paint at all times. Contest his shot, and it's a brick. He shoots 28.3 percent on non-wide-open 3s, according to NBA.com player-tracking data.
With rookie Aaron Harrison and newcomer Jeremy Lin in the fold, Roberts looks like the odd man out unless he can rediscover his jump shot that made him a handy reserve.
Jeremy Lamb
Position: Guard
Experience: 5 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Scoring wing who makes a noodle look fat
+ Talented in the pick-and-roll and a capable shooter
+ Still a work in progress defensively
Analysis
After spending last season in Scott Brooks' doghouse, Lamb gets a fresh start in Charlotte. Lamb's NBA career has gone sideways since being part of the famous James Harden trade in 2012. Lamb had perhaps his best opportunity to flourish with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant fighting injuries last season, but Lamb was mostly left on the bench.
Lamb has talent. That's undeniable. With incredible wingspan, Lamb can create his own shot in the half court, but he gets a little carried away in transition. He can shoot off the dribble, especially straight on, and converted 34.2 percent of his trifectas last season.
For Lamb, the trouble comes on the defensive end where he's physically overwhelmed by opposing wings who also outwork him. Lamb has to dedicate himself more to both ends of the floor if he wants to be a rotation player. The defensive-minded Steve Clifford has a nice project on his hands; the Hornets could certainly use the scoring punch.
Troy Daniels
Position: Guard
Experience: 2 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Three-point specialist deadly from the wings. Mini Steve Novak
+ Equally proficient off pass or dribble
+ Doesn't dribble or pass or defend at an adequate level
Analysis
Just 24, Daniels has bounced around the NBA looking for a permanent home for his sharpshooting skills. Charlotte could be it. The VCU product is a career 38.5 percent shooter from deep in the NBA and currently the D-League record-holder for both 3-point makes (240) and attempts (599) in a season, set back in 2013-14.
One would think a player of Daniels' skillset would find a spot in today's 3-point crazy NBA, but he makes Kyle Korver seem like Magic Johnson out there. The 6-foot-4 two-guard has averaged just 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per 36 minutes in his short career. With Daniels and Hairston on the roster, the Hornets now sport the two most 3-happy players in NBA history. Only one should be on the list.
Aaron Harrison
Position: Guard
Experience: Rookie
2015 draft profile
Scouting report
+ Long, combo guard with no standout skill
+ Unreliable jump shot and is not a distributor or rebounder
+ Stock may have peaked in high school
Analysis
For those who can't tell the difference between him and his twin brother, Andrew, this is the one who hit the clutch 3-pointer to clinch a trip to the 2014 NCAA championship. That one.
Harrison latched on with the Charlotte Hornets this summer after going undrafted in the 2015 draft. He's big at 6-foot-6, but there's not much intrigue here beyond his size. He's a combo guard who averaged 2.2 assists per 40 minutes and shot 31.6 percent from downtown his sophomore season.
The Kentucky Wildcat can be a solid defender, but it's hard to see him developing into a Garrett Temple-type player, much less a Tony Allen-caliber tweener at the next level. The former McDonald's All-American needs to work on his 3-point shot or else he won't see any run in Charlotte behind Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin.
Elliot Williams
Position: Guard
Experience: 3 years
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Journeyman lefty who hasn't looked the same since Achilles injury in 2012
+ Solid from deep but has lost his explosiveness
+ Improved distributor for a combo guard but needs to stay healthy
Analysis
Williams latches on with the Hornets after scoring a game-high 23 points for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the D-League championship. The combo guard is still fighting for a future in the NBA as Charlotte will be his fifth club since 2012. Not a pure point guard, it was good to see the 25-year-old finish with the fifth-highest assist average in the D-League last season.
The oft-injured Williams displayed an improved jumper at Santa Cruz, knocking down 37.4 percent of his 3-point attempts. He'll provide some much-needed spot-up shooting for the Hornets, who finished with a dreadful 31.8 percent conversion rate from deep. He hasn't been able to translate his shooting at the pro level yet, but he's worth a flier. He'll fight for minutes with Brian Roberts and Aaron Harrison.
P.J. Hairston
Position: Guard
Experience: 1 year
2015-16 projections
Scouting report
+ Strong, troubled gunner who could have future in D-League
+ Never saw a shot he didn't like -- a coach's nightmare
+ Needs to improve: decision-making, decision-making, decision-making
Analysis
Well, that was ... something. Hairston shot 32.3 percent from the floor in his NBA debut season and tallied more turnovers (22) than assists (21). He followed that up by shooting 33.3 percent at summer league and getting cited for driving with a revoked license, his third straight offseason getting in trouble with the law.
Hairston's rookie season was so rough it might actually make Michael Jordan think twice about signing another Carolina product again. Wait, who are we kidding?