TAKING IT OUT

NORTH CAROLINA’S OWN DEVONTE’ GRAHAM SPENT A GOOD CHUNK OF HIS ROOKIE SEASON BOUNCING BACK AND FORTH FROM THE G LEAGUE. HE’S USING THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE HE EARNED ON THAT LEVEL TO PUT ON A SHOW IN THE NBA.

- Alex Squadron

PEOPLE ASK DEVONTE’ GRAHAM ALL THE TIME: DID HE EXPECT TO BE PLAYING LIKE THIS?

AS OF THIS writing, he’s the Hornets’ leader in points (18.3) and assists (7.0) per game. He ranks second in the entire NBA in three-pointers made, trailing just James Harden. On multiple occasions, he’s been asked to take the big shot in crunch time and delivered. Head coach James Borrego recently moved him into the starting lineup to orchestrate the offense alongside Terry Rozier. He’s been among the most effective pick-and-roll ballhandlers in the L.

The honest answer is no, Devonte’ Graham didn’t expect this. After being drafted 34th overall in 2018, he spent much of his first season in the G League and the NBA. He knew a greater opportunity was coming this year, but just how much of an opportunity, and how well he’d thrive in it, has come as a complete surprise. Well, maybe to Graham. “I’ve been a fan since he was at Kansas so I wouldn’t say I’m surprised,” Rozier says. “I’m happy for him. He put the work in so he’s getting out what he put in.” “To be honest, I’m not surprised because there’s opportunity here,” says assistant coach Nate Mitchell, who trained with Graham over the summer. “I also saw this last year—he just didn’t make shots. He struggled a bit, going up and down. But if you go back and look at his G League games, some things are transferable, and the way he shot the ball percentage-wise off the bounce in the G League, it’s the same thing he’s doing right now. Obviously there are bigger, longer, more athletic guys at this level, but if you can see the reads, it doesn’t matter. With the time that he put in over the summer, it makes sense.”