Kemba Walker, Cody Zeller already training for next season with Charlotte Hornets
By Aaron Blue
The first month following the end to an NBA team’s season will often be used by the players as their vacation time before they begin to prepare for the next season.
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With front offices focusing on draft preparations and many players planning for their appearances on the free agent market, the rest of the players find new time to seek relaxation and recover, but many will continue pushing themselves further by training to improve in hopes of better results next season.
The Charlotte Hornets offseason is almost a month old after the end to the Bobcats era with a lost in the first round to the Miami Heat and a few of the players are already training to kick off the Hornets’ return, including Kemba Walker and Cody Zeller, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
"Kemba Walker and Cody Zeller are back in Charlotte, beginning to work on their games again. Clifford said he’s in no rush for veteran center Al Jefferson to start working out, after Jefferson suffered a plantar fascia injury in the playoffs."
Kemba Walker finished his third season in Charlotte with his first taste of the NBA playoffs, and he took the challenge well with strong averages of 19.5 points and 6 assists a game. The young point guard was a key member of Charlotte’s run to get to the playoffs, and managed to remain steady with his previous numbers, finishing the 2013-14 season averaging 17.7 points, the same result as his 2012-13 season, and 6.1 assists a game.
Cody Zeller was much less of a contributor in his rookie campaign, appearing in all 82 games with modest numbers of 6 points and 4.3 rebounds a game. Both players remain important pieces for the Hornets’ future and their desire to continue working on their games are positive signs as the team continues to look to improve their standing in the Eastern Conference.