Before this season, Hornets shooting guard, Jeremy Lamb, was known around the basketball world for being one of two things: he was either the primary trade chip in the deal that sent James Harden to the Houston Rockets in 2012 or he was Kemba Walker’s teammate at UConn during its NCAA National Championship run in 2011. After his first couple weeks with Charlotte, Lamb has done a masterful job of letting his play on the court define him so far this season, which has quickly began changing perceptions of the former-Huskie around the NBA.
Coming into the league, Lamb was selected 12th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets but was shipped to Oklahoma City four months later along with Kevin Martin, two first-round draft picks and a second-round draft pick in exchange for James Harden and three other players. During his three years in Oklahoma City, Lamb’s best season came in 2013-14 when he averaged 8.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.7 minutes off the bench. Unfortunately, a crowded Thunder rotation limited Lamb’s chances to see consistent time on the court and he was on the move again this past summer, this time to Charlotte.
Things are a bit different this season for Lamb, who is thriving with the change of scenery. With averages of 13.0 points and 3.7 rebounds so far this season, Lamb currently ranks tied-for-seventh in the NBA amongst shooting guards in scoring per 48 minutes (29.0 points) and is first amongst all shooting guards in field-goal percentage (58.6 percent) after never shooting higher than 43.2 percent in any of his three seasons in Oklahoma City. Lamb is also shooting 45.5 percent from three-point range this season, which is sixth amongst shooting guards in the NBA. His best three-point percentage with the Thunder was 35.6 percent during the 2013-14 NBA season.
Lamb’s play has also made quite an impression on his new Charlotte teammates.
“I can’t believe this guy has been sitting on the bench for three years,” says Al Jefferson. “He’s a talented player. Not only can he score the ball, he’s got a very high IQ of the game. He’s a great one-on-one defender. I know with him being over [in Oklahoma City] with [Kevin] Durant [and Russell Westbrook], he’s probably learned a lot from them. I’m happy he’s with us now. It’s just mind-boggling he’s been on the bench for three years.”
The Hornets also wasted no time locking up the promising Lamb to a long-term deal, which he signed on Nov. 2.
“It’s a great feeling that [the Hornets] trusted me to give me a contract. Great teammates, great general manager, great owner- it’s a great feeling being around here with a fresh start. I think now, all I can do is keep working and really focus on having a good season individually and as a team, get some wins and see where we can go,” said Lamb after his 20-point performance on 9-of-10 shooting in Charlotte’s 130-105 win over Chicago on Nov. 3.
With Lamb’s strong start in Charlotte already an early indication, perhaps it might not be long before we forget about his role in the James Harden trade and start viewing the dynamic fourth-year player as one of the better shooters in the NBA this season.
Key Matchup vs. Knicks: Nicolas Batum vs. Carmelo Anthony
Both Nicolas Batum of the Charlotte Hornets and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks are looking to have bounce-back seasons coming off of rough 2014-15 NBA campaigns… Now in his first year in Charlotte, Batum tallied 9.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists last year in Portland, the former of which was his lowest scoring average since his rookie season in 2008-09. Batum has looked sharp in Charlotte so far with averages of 13.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists, the last two of which rank tied-for-ninth and fourth, respectively, in the NBA amongst small forwards… the former-scoring champion Anthony played just 40 games last year before undergoing season-ending knee surgery in February and would watch from the sidelines as the Knicks finished with a franchise-worst 17-65 record. Fully recovered and healthy for now, Anthony is averaging 21.9 points on 38.1 percent shooting along with 6.9 rebounds through New York’s first eight games… Expect to see two hungry players both with something to prove this season when Nicolas Batum and Carmelo Anthony square off on Wednesday night in Charlotte.
