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2014-15 Season in Review | Bismack Biyombo

By Matt Rochinski, hornets.com

2014-15 Season in Review | Bismack Biyombo

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Tipping Off
The Charlotte Hornets and their fans weren’t really sure what to expect out of Bismack Biyombo in 2013-14 after seeing their young center from the Congo average 5.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 143 games, including 106 starts his first two years in the NBA. With free agent signee Al Jefferson taking over in the middle for Charlotte, BIyombo saw his role reduced in year three, as he played well below his career averages, posting just 2.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 77 games, including nine starts. Biz still entered 2014-15 with renewed confidence after a year in Head Coach Steve Clifford’s system and more than 365 days of tutelage under one of the game’s best-ever big men in Associate Head Coach Patrick Ewing and All-NBA Third Team center Jefferson. It would eventually pay off as Biz had a bounce-back season, averaging 4.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 64 games, including 21 as a starter.

Slow Start, Staying Patient
Things couldn’t have started off much slower for Biyombo as 2014 came to a close. He did not see a minute of action when the Hornets officially returned to Charlotte on Opening Night against Milwaukee and played in 26 of 32 games in November and December, averaging 3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 14.3 minutes of play. As one of the last rotation players of Head Coach Steve Clifford’s bench, Biyombo knew he had to ride things out and wait for his opportunity to get more minutes.

Happy New Year
Biyombo’s chance to showcase his skills came in January when big man Al Jefferson went down with a groin strain prior to the New Year’s Eve game in Houston and would be out of the Hornets lineup for the next nine games. Biyombo stepped into the starting lineup and took full advantage, nearly doubling his scoring average with 6.6 points to go with 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 24.4 minutes of play and igniting “Biz Nation” all over social media as fans rallied around the charismatic youngster.
As Biz’s level of play increased, so too did the Hornets as they went 10-4 (.714) in the month of January, posting the second-best winning percentage in the Eastern Conference behind only Atlanta and the fourth-best in the NBA. The Hornets led NBA in opponent scoring (89.5) by a margin of 2.1 points over second place and led NBA in opponent field goal percentage (.396) by a margin of .015 over second place. The Hornets also ranked second in the Eastern Conference and third in NBA in opponent three-point percentage (.315) and the Hornets ranked third in the Eastern Conference and fourth in NBA in blocks (6.5).

Glass Cleaners
Biyombo also became an interesting line in the Hornets game notes on Jan. 21 against Miami when he (12 rebounds), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14) and Cody Zeller (12) all grabbed 10-or-more rebounds, marking the first time that Charlotte had three players with double-figure rebounds in one game since Feb. 8, 2013, when it was done by Byron Mullens (12), Biyombo (10), Gerald Henderson (10) and Kidd-Gilchrist (10).

Hot Streak Halted
Unfortunately for the Hornets and their fans, Biyombo’s string of strong play would come to a halt on Jan. 24 against New York when a bone bruise in his right knee would limit him to just seven minutes against the Knicks and would sideline him for Charlotte’s next 11 games through Feb. 27. Biyombo took some time rounding back into shape after his injury. He did not score in double-digits or bring down double-digit rebounds in seven-straight games after returning from the injury before scoring 10 points and brining down 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season in a 101-91 victory on Mar. 13 against Chicago, setting up a nice final run for Biyombo in April with Al Jefferson on the sidelines with right knee soreness.

Closing Strong
Biyombo returned as the team’s starting center in April with Big Al sidelined, and for the second time this season, took full advantage of the extra playing time with Jefferson out. Biyombo had his best month of the season in April, finishing with averages of 7.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 30.2 minutes through nine games.

2015-16 Outlook
The Hornets have a decision to make with Biyombo this offseason as they could tender him a qualifying offer this summer and make him a restricted free agent. This would give Charlotte the opportunity to match any other team’s offer through restricted free agency. However, the Hornets could also choose not to give Biyombo the qualifying offer, allowing him to become a restricted free agent. Charlotte is at a crossroads in terms of determining how important of a piece Biyombo will be to the organization going forward, and the team and its fans should get some answers soon.