The other night when I was watching the Hornets playing the Magic, I started thinking about Kemba Walker and what he brings every night. Then I started thinking about Mo Williams and what he has brought these last 5 games. It really inspired me to start doing some research on both of these players. It posed the question that this article is titled: Is Mo Williams what Kemba can become?
Both guards are listed as 6’1”. Kemba is 184lbs and Mo is 198lbs. In Kemba’s 3 year career, he averages 16.5 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds. Mo’s 11 year career has him with 13.3 points, 5 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. Straight numbers would simply suggest that Kemba could surpass Mo. 3 years versus Mo’s 11 while playing with players like Lebron, let’s just say it isn’t totally an apples-to-apples comparison. It also isn’t a fair comparison because Kemba has his best basketball years ahead of him.
Mo’s first 3 years averaged 9.1 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.3 assists. Those numbers aren’t “Kemba-like” at all. My thought is that you have to look at the heart of Mo’s career to see those “Kemba-like numbers” that I’m looking for. Years 4-10, Mo yielded 15.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds.
My point is a simple one. I believe that Mo is the perfect mentor for Kemba. His numbers were very stable over years 4-10, all while bouncing through 4 different teams. I believe he knows what it takes to be a successful PG in the NBA. Kemba needs that sort of mentor. On our roster right now, we have Kemba, Mo, and Roberts. I would actually like to see a summer trade of Roberts, and we should get a bigger 3rd PG. He should be a young guy that could learn from Mo and from Kemba. He should be able to score the basketball, but also have great handles and be a good distributor. For this to happen, though, we would have to sign Mo to a contract of some sort, and Roberts has to be traded. I think it’s a great idea.
You guys know that I am super-active on Twitter. I read all of the basking that Kemba gets. I see everyone say that he dribbles too much and that he forces shots. I will not disagree. I’m right there with you guys on those complaints. I do have a feeling, however, that this time sitting on the bench, Kemba has been able to basically watch his game, a matured version, by watching Mo play. Mo does some of what Kemba does. Hopefully he’s noticed that Mo doesn’t dribble excessively. Mo takes good, clean, open shots.
Mo is good at hitting those shots. Kemba has to get better at that part. If you use those first 3 years comparisons, Mo had a FG% of .414 and a 3pt% of .320. Kemba’s first 3 years have yielded .394 FG% and .32 3pt%. Those are some very similar numbers, huh? Well, take a look at years 4 through 10 for Mo. His FG% was .437 and his 3pt% was .379. Kemba can get to those numbers. It’s all about having to force shots. Kemba is in year 4, so he still has time to get better. With others on the team that can score the ball, those percentages will go up, as well as his assists numbers. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is becoming a double-double machine. Cody Zeller has been great with Mo in the pick-and-roll game. These are little things that will help Kemba to be better. The hope is that over this era with Kemba, we see him continue to improve and the team improving around him.
We’re a young team, and we have lots of young talent in MKG, Cody, Vonleh, Kemba, Hairston, and Biyombo. All of these guys are going to continue to grow and get better. Kemba’s the floor leader and he has to have talent around him. He has that talent on this team; they just have to hone their skills. We can only hope he can have a career as steady as Mo’s has been. We can also hope that we can keep Mo here past this season. He is fast becoming the “glue guy” that was Josh McRoberts in the 2012-2013 season. Some guys you just want to keep around. I think Mo is that guy.
Tonight we face the Lakers. This game and the game against the Nets are 2 games that we really, REALLY need to win in order to keep our playoff hopes alive. The Nets game is most crucial, should it come down to tiebreakers for seeding in the playoffs.
So, as always…
Let’s Go Hornets!
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