5 reasons the Charlotte Hornets will be a top 5 team in the East

2. Replacing Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin was the perfect sixth man for the Hornets last season, and there’s some concern the team will suffer on the offensive end after his departure. The numbers suggest otherwise.

The Hornets were actually better offensively without Lin on the floor. With Lin on the floor, Charlotte had an offensive rating of 103.1 and and assist percentage of 57. Without Lin, the Hornets had an offensive rating of 107.2 and an assist percentage of 60.1. Those numbers alone don’t fully capture Lin’s impact, but they do show that Charlotte’s improvement on offensive last season wasn’t just down to Lin’s contribution.

Charlotte signed Ramon Sessions to help replace Lin this offseason. Sessions has already spent time in Charlotte with Clifford during the 2013 season. Sessions and Lin have very similar skill sets in that they both excel at finding ways to get into the paint and to the free throw line. Additionally, Sessions was actually better statistically in some of these areas during his time in Charlotte. Last season, Lin shot 41 percent from the field, averaged three assists, two turnovers and 3.7 free throw attempts per game. In 2013, Sessions averaged 43 percent from the field, 4 assists, 1.8 turnovers and five free throw attempts per game. Lin’s value to the Hornets last season was his ability to get to the basket and to the free throw line. These numbers suggest Sessions will have a similar impact this season.