If Devonte Graham’s health is what’s most important, Hornets need to sign another PG
The Charlotte Hornets need to sign a veteran third point guard for the rest of the season.
Not to help win — it doesn’t particularly matter what the Hornets’ record is the remaining 21 games — but to make sure not to grind down Devonte Graham and Terry Rozier this month and next.
There is nothing wrong with Joe Chealey, who got a second 10-day contract Tuesday. However, there is not enough right about him at a time when Graham is showing wear and tear. When coach James Borrego was asked why the Hornets signed Chealey two days after his first 10-day expired, Borrego’s answer was simple and direct.
“We needed a point guard,” Borrego said before the Hornets’ 104-103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. “And we needed one quick.”
Translation: Chealey was handy and familiar enough with the Hornets’ terminology and personnel. He was on a two-way contract with the Hornets last season and has been with the Hornets’ G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, this season.
With Graham out Tuesday with a sore left ankle, Chealey played 12 minutes Tuesday as Rozier’s backup. He missed all four of his shots from the field, had two turnovers and no assists.
A point guard’s first job is to keep teammates organized and minimize mistakes. By that definition, Chealey wasn’t good. That isn’t so much a conclusion about him as about whether he belonged in that situation.
“Health trumps anything”
in September, the Hornets chose not to devote three roster spots to point guards, which isn’t normal in the NBA. However, in this situation — a heavy lean toward youth development in a rebuild — having the perfectly balanced roster wasn’t crucial.
Graham and Rozier being so durable and productive made this easier. It took 54 games — more than half the season — before either missed a game. That came Feb. 12, just before the All-Star break, when Rozier sat out in Minnesota with left-knee tendinitis.
Since then, the Hornets chose to sit out Grahamon Feb. 25 because he looked exhausted his prior two games, going 1-of-17 from the field right after the break. Then, Graham twisted his ankle Sunday in a collision with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. That injury wasn’t fatigue-related, but the mileage on these guards is high: Through Sunday, Graham had played the seventh-most minutes in the whole league at 2,041. Rozier wasn’t far behind at 1,990.
Those two were so dependable that it was unclear for months who Borrego considered his emergency third point guard. That proved to be Malik Monk, who was playing his best NBA basketball before being suspended for an indefinite period last week under the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
The Hornets have a busy schedule with five games in the next 10 days, starting Thursday against the Denver Nuggets. Borrego said Tuesday that they won’t gamble with bringing back Graham too soon.
“If he’s not ready to go Thursday night, we’re not going to play him,” Borrego said. “We’re not going to risk it. His health trumps anything.”
Summer matters
That health-trumps-anything approach should prevail beyond this ankle injury. Graham’s improvement has been the most pleasant surprise of the season. I’m not saying cover him in bubble wrap, but getting Graham and the other young guys to the off-season without a significant injury is important to this development process.
Graham’s major uptick in 3-point shooting shows what this coaching staff can accomplish in a summer of healthy gym time.
Maybe the Hornets could muddle by without a signing if they knew Monk would be back soon. But in the absence of clarity on that front, general manager Mitch Kupchak should sign a veteran point: Ideally, someone grateful for six weeks on a minimum contract without the expectation of major minutes. Someone who can play in a pinch, but doesn’t demand it.
When Marvin Williams and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist took buyouts, the Hornets saved money and opened two roster spots.
Use that freed-up cash and one of those spots as insurance against these guys’ well-being.
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
