Charlotte Hornets Player Grades: Assessing a successful month of February
The Charlotte Hornets established themselves both as legit playoffs contenders and as one of the most exciting young teams in the league all while battling through adversity in February.
Despite missing a week of action due to health and safety protocols and contact tracing, the Hornets finished the month with a 6-5 record in 11 games. Prior to Saturday’s game against the Warriors, the Hornets are currently positioned as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and just a half-game out of the four seed.
After the exciting stretch of action, here’s a look at each individual player’s grade for the month.
Nick Richards - INC
Nick Richards played in three games in February, but only for a total of 11 minutes as it was all during garbage time. However, in three G League games this month, Richards is scoring 20.3 points per game with 12.7 rebounds as well.
Jalen McDaniels - C
Jalen McDaniels barely makes the cut for receiving a grade this month, largely due to his importance at the end of the month. After having a chunk of the team enter health and safety protocols during the middle of the month, McDaniels was recalled from the G League bubble. McDaniels' versatility has been vital for the often undermanned Hornets and though he hasn't had the best statistical month - 6.8 points on 27.3% 3-point shooting - he has been important in the limited games he's played.
Devonte' Graham - B+
While LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier have taken many of the plaudits due to their scoring and raw numbers impact, there's an argument to make that no guard is more important to Charlotte than Devonte' Graham. The only knock on Graham for this month has been injuries. While it's harsh to consider that a knock, the best ability is availability, as the old adage goes. Graham currently is out with a knee injury while he missed time earlier in the month with a groin injury. Still, he averaged 13.2 points on 34.3% 3-point shooting with 3.8 assists in five games this month. His team-best net rating of +7.9 tells the story of how important he is to the team as well.
Caleb and Cody Martin - C+
As they have been for probably their entire lives, Caleb and Cody Martin are grouped here, largely because both have missed a chunk of games as well. When the Hornets postponed games on Feb. 16, both the Martin brothers entered the health and safety protocols and haven't been available since. Caleb has been the more productive on the court and, on his own, would likely get a grade around a B-. He played six games, averaging 20.2 minutes per contest while scoring 5.5 points on 35.7% 3-point shooting. Cody, meanwhile, actually played one more game but significantly fewer minutes. In his seven appearances, Cody only played 36 minutes. As the Hornets shortened their rotation, Cody has found himself on the outside looking in. His grade would be closer to a C- or D+. Average their production, taking into account how much more Caleb has played than Cody for the C+ grade.
P.J. Washington - B-
A mixture of injury and inconsistency has plagued P.J. Washington this month. Early in the month, Washington missed two games with a sprained foot. He missed two games again later in the month due to health and safety protocols. In the games he's been available, Washington has struggled or excelled with little middle ground. Over seven games, he's averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game. But in his last three games, he's averaging 14.0 points on 53.8% 3-point shooting. In an ideal situation, he will be able to find a middle ground in production while being available.
Terry Rozier - A+
When the Hornets signed Terry Rozier, the month of February is likely what they wanted and expected out of him. In nine games, Rozier averaged 24.7 on 53.0% shooting from the field, 46.6% from the 3-point line and 96.6% shooting at the line. He missed the first two games of the month but has since played every game. He's been nothing short of phenomenal since, including stringing together four consecutive 30-point games. He's been the go-to scorer for the Hornets in big moments and delivered the whole month.
Bismack Biyombo - B-
Bismack Biyombo has many limitations as a player. Ideally, his role with this Hornets team would as a mentor. But given injuries, he's been forced into a larger role. His availability alone is a big positive as he played in all but one game for Charlotte and was available in the one game he didn't play. His net rating of -0.7 is indicative of his impact on the team, if not even generous to him. In terms of raw numbers, he averaged 4.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.5 minutes. It's hard to be too harsh on him and a B- seems like a fair grade for the month.
Gordon Hayward - A
While his month of January was certainly better, especially from a scoring perspective, Hayward was just as effective in different ways in February. He missed just one game due to back tightness and, in his 10 games, he averaged 19.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists on 45.8% shooting overall and 37.0% on 3-point shooting. His +5.1 net rating trails only Graham. He's a vitally important player to the Hornets and has lived up to the billing of his controversial contract so far.
Cody Zeller - B+
The addition of Zeller to the lineup has unlocked much for the Hornets, particularly offensively. With him on the court this month, Charlotte has an offensive rating of 115.0. Individually, Zeller averaged 10.8 points in 24.4 minutes along with 7.3 rebounds on 54.3% shooting. While he's not statistically the most important player on this team, given his role with the team and the players behind him on the depth chart, Zeller's availability has been vital. Ironically, after playing all 11 games to-date in February, Zeller will miss Saturday's game against the Warriors. Nonetheless, it's still been a successful and impactful month for the center.
LaMelo Ball - A+
The only player with a month on par with Rozier's has been Ball. As he stepped into the starting lineup to start this month, Ball hasn't looked back and likely never will leave the lineup again. No one has been more available than Ball, who leads the team in minutes for the month while playing in all 11 games. He's averaged 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists on 44.4% field goal shooting and 40.8% from 3-point range. It's been his breakout month in the NBA and the month in which he solidified himself as a budding star.
Malik Monk - A
While the Hornets rotated through starting backcourts throughout the year, it was Malik Monk, along with Ball, that stepped up in the voids. Monk played all 11 games off the bench and was the team's fourth-leading scorer at 15.5 points per game. Only Rozier hit as many threes as Monk this month and no one shot a better percentage from 3-point range. He was massive in comeback wins over Miami and Phoenix and has scored in double figures all but one game this month.
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