![]() ![]() “I’ve stayed available, obviously,” James told reporters when asked how the streak was possible. Michael Jordan | 866 | March 1986 to Dec. * * * Most Consecutive Games With At Least 10 Points 26, 2001, while playing for the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. Graham is living proof of that.Jordan’s streak lasted from Mathrough Dec. You never know when the right opportunity is going to hit. For players, the lesson is never stop improving your game. For NBA teams, the lesson here is never to discount a really good player just because he’s older and has unremarkable tools. He’s turning out to be one of the better players from his draft class at the start of his second season. He wasn’t that big or that fast or that good at shooting or that explosive going to the basket. He was one of college basketball’s very best players when he entered the draft, but slipped to the second round because scouts thought there wasn’t much special about his game. Graham was battled-tested in big games playing under the national spotlight for one of the most prestigious programs in the country. A three-year starter, he was Big 12 tournament MVP as a sophomore, an all-conference guard as a junior, and Big 12 Player of the Year and a first-team All-American as a senior. Graham would eventually get his release and go on to have a wonderful college career at Kansas. At that point, Graham was doing a post-grad year out of high school and trying to get out of his commitment to Appalachian State. ![]() The first time I wrote about Graham at SB Nation was back in 2014. Graham has been a great player at every level he’s played at The two are working well when paired together in the backcourt: Charlotte has a +1.4 net rating when Rozier and Graham are on the court together, the fifth highest among lineup that have played at least 100 minutes. Rozier was supposed to be the Hornets’ new star point guard when Walker left, but Graham has taken the role and moved Rozier to shooting guard in the biggest moments. Graham is currently one of 14 players in the league averaging at least seven assists per night. He’s currently posting a 35.1 percent assist rate, which is several points higher than Walker’s best season early in his career. Graham’s skill as a facilitator is also a huge factor in his breakout. It should remind Hornets fans quite a bit of how Walker used to play in Charlotte. Graham’s ability to hit pull-up threes off the dribble makes him an especially tough cover. At the moment, 59 percent of Graham’s field-goal attempts are three-point shots. The biggest improvement in his game has been his increased three-point shooting proficiency: Graham is knocking down 41.4 percent of his threes on 8.5 attempts per game. Graham is leading the Hornets in scoring this season at 18.8 points per game despite coming off the bench until last week. This is how Graham is putting together his breakout season. Graham’s NBA success might feel like it has come out of nowhere, but it’s also worth noting he was one of the better college guards of this decade at Kansas. Graham had been coming off the bench for the Hornets until Dwayne Bacon’s injury, but he should be in the conversation for Most Improved Player and Sixth Man if he keeps this up. After giving Terry Rozier $58 million over the summer, it’s Graham who has been Charlotte’s best player and de facto Walker replacement. 34 overall - but there’s no way they saw this coming. The Hornets were hopeful Graham could be part of its future - they did trade two second-round picks to move up to draft him at No. He appeared in 46 games for the big league club last season, averaging 4.7 points and 2.6 assists per game. Graham was a second-round pick in the 2018 draft who spent most of his first year as a pro going between the G League and the NBA. DEVONTE' GRAHAM LETS IT FLY FOR THE WIN! #ALLFLY /vz1twgegLq- NBA November 17, 2019 ![]()
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