Sion James didn’t exactly arrive in Charlotte looking like a typical No. 33 pick, and he sure didn’t leave his first NBA season looking like a fringe rotation guy either.
The box score numbers are modest enough: 5.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on 37/35/83 shooting splits. But those numbers don’t really tell the full story of what James gave the Hornets. His impact showed up in the places teams actually feel it - especially on defense.
James posted a +1.1 defensive EPM, which was the second-best mark on the roster behind only Moussa Diabate. Part of that evaluation comes from RAPM, and that component rated James as a borderline top-50 defender in the NBA last season. The way he affected Charlotte’s opponents showed up in true-shooting percentage and on second-chance chances, and that lined up with the film.
What stood out most was how often James drew the toughest assignments. He was put on stars of all shapes and sizes, and he handled them with real bite.
Against two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, his one-on-one defense was as stout as anyone wearing a Hornets uniform. He also held his own against bigger, stronger scorers like Paolo Banchero and Lauri Markkanen.
The former Duke Blue Devil plays defense like a bulldog. He leans on strength and IQ, and while his wingspan is not a calling card and keeps him from being a true event creator on that end, it doesn’t stop him from being a legitimate one-on-one stopper.
In January’s win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, that showed up clearly in those possessions against SGA, where James used his core strength and lateral quickness to steer the ball handler into tough spots. NBA isolation defense is brutally hard, but James already looks like someone who can survive it.
That said, the offensive side of the equation still needs a lot of work.
James was one of the least efficient scorers in the league last season. He hit just 50% of his attempts at the rim, 20% from mid-range and 35% from three. With those kinds of numbers, defenses can simply live with him, and that creates a real problem if Charlotte wants him on the floor late in games.
That’s why the Hornets’ decision to give him lead-ball-handler reps in Summer League made some sense. If he’s going to stay in a playoff rotation, he can’t be only a defender. He needs extra offensive value to go with what he already does well.
There are still some useful traits there. James is a connective passer who usually makes the right read and keeps an advantage moving after a teammate creates it.
The issue comes when he has to create the advantage himself or finish it once it’s there. He can get downhill as a physical driver, but the end result is still lagging behind.
A better three-point shot is the cleanest path forward, and so is more reliable finishing around the basket. If he can take a jump in one or both of those areas, his outlook changes fast.
The encouraging part for Charlotte is that the good already outweighs the bad. James is 24, so he’s closer to a finished product than most second-year players, but everything points to him being the kind of worker who keeps adding to his game.
That matters, because every strong team needs players who can connect the offense and lock things down on defense. The Hornets may already have one in James.
In Other News...
Hornets Fans May Not Love What Schroder Is Already Signaling
Dennis Schroder is already thinking about the back half of his basketball life, and that matters for Hornets fans because he is still in the middle of shaping what his Charlotte stint could look like. The veteran guard spoke recently about the length of his NBA career and gave a sense that he is not viewing this chapter as the start of an endless run, which is the sort of answer that tends to catch the attention of any fanbase trying to map out a future.
Schroder also pointed to Braunschweig as the place he would like to finish playing, a reminder that even as he settles into a new NBA stop, his long-term compass is pointed back home. For Charlotte, it adds another layer to a situation already built around short-term fit and immediate usefulness, because the Hornets are not just evaluating what he brings now, but how much runway there really is before his career path starts heading elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Whitmore Suddenly Feels Like A Nets Fit To Watch
Cam Whitmores name has already bounced through another round of trade chatter after Cleveland brought him in as part of a multi-team deal, only for the next question to become what the Cavs actually plan to do with him. Hes still a young player with real NBA mileage, and the appeal is obvious enough that once the initial transaction dust settles, the conversation quickly shifts from acquisition to availability.
For teams still looking to add talent without a long wait, that kind of uncertainty always creates a lane, and Charlotte would have reason to keep an eye on it. Whitmores profile makes him the type of swing worth monitoring if he gets loose, especially with several clubs mentioned as possible landing spots, but the real intrigue is whether the market ever opens wide enough for the Hornets to jump in. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Payroll Shift Just Changed The Team's Biggest Debate
Charlottes offseason has already altered the look of the Hornets payroll in a way that goes beyond the usual roster churn. By moving on from a pair of heavyweight deals and adding Coby White on a new contract, the team has shifted into a much more flexible financial posture, one that gives it room to manage the roster with a little more breathing room and a lot less baggage.
Brandon Miller is now the name that sits closest to the center of the conversation, especially with the Hornets carrying several relatively low cap hits elsewhere on the books. The clean-up job has created a more cost-effective setup for the present, but it also raises the next big question in Charlotte: how aggressively the front office wants to lock in its young core before the market forces its hand. [Read more 🡒]