Why did the Charlotte Hornets sign Michael Carter-Williams?

The Charlotte Hornets made an interesting move when signing the 2011 rookie of the year, but was it the right one?

With Kemba Walker on the floor, the Hornets outscore their opponents by 5.2 points per 100 possessions. And when they don’t have him on the court, their net rating falls to -15.1, which is pretty tragic when you put it into context. They go from being better than the Boston Celtics (4.6 net rating) to worse than the Sacramento Kings (-10.5 net rating). That’s a somewhat unbelievable swing of 20.3 points per 100 possessions…so unbelievable I triple checked it before posting just to make sure.

This problem stems from one position, the backup point guard.

The Hornets realised this problem and tried to address it by signing Carter-Williams on a one-year deal worth $2.7 million. On paper, this looks like a solid deal that could work out, however, huge issues on the scoring end has disproved that. I must point out that MCW is very solid when defending (when he’s healthy) out on the perimeter.

Had the Hornets signed any other free agent in the offseason, they may have ended up with Aaron Brooks, Beno Udrich or Trey Burke. None of which would have blown the league open, but could have been a more balanced player on both ends of the court.

Instead, they’ve ended up with MCW, Julyan Stone and Marcus Paige, three contracts that leaves their second unit 29th in offensive rating. Something a team that is pushing for the playoffs can really do without.

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