NBA Season Preview 2019-20: Every team’s biggest question

Charlotte Hornets: Can Terry Rozier make a star turn?

Perhaps no NBA franchise has had a more perplexing calendar year than the Charlotte Hornets. After a season in which they had seemingly committed to their franchise player, Kemba Walker, by declining to flip him for long-term assets at the deadline, Michael Jordan and co. reversed course this summer, opting against paying the 29-year-old despite his apparent willingness to accept less than the super-max contract he was eligible for. Now, Walker is in Boston, and in his place is former Celtics guard Terry Rozier.

In four NBA seasons, Rozier has never shot 40 percent from the field, and his defensive effort has been inconsistent. Factoring in that Rozier seemed to contribute to Boston’s poor locker room culture last season, and based on what we’ve seen, his three-year, $58 million contract looks to be a substantial overpay.

Still, the logic behind the deal, such as it is, seems easy to track. Charlotte thinks it can unlock the player who excelled in the 2018-19 postseason. During the Celtics’ remarkable run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Rozier averaged 16.5 points, 5.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game in relief of an injured Kyrie Irving, all while turning the ball over just 22 times in 19 games. It’s the kind of performance that lands a young player this kind of contract, but it still remains something of an outlier in the context of Rozier’s career. The Hornets clearly hope they can make it the new norm.

However questionable the logic may have been, the Walker-Rozier swap is in the past. Now, the Hornets look ahead to a new era with their new 25-year-old point guard at the helm. Can Rozier justify his colossal price tag? With so little in the way of bankable young talent elsewhere on the roster, the answer to that question may define this team for the next half-decade.