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2014-15 Season in Review | Brian Roberts

By Matt Rochinski, hornets.com

2014-15 Season in Review | Brian Roberts

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Tipping Off
When Charlotte General Manager Rich Cho announced July 23 that the team had signed free agent guard Brian Roberts, the Hornets filled a position of need, landing a quality backup point guard to play behind starter Kemba Walker. The 6-1 Roberts spent two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 8.2 points, 3.0 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 19.9 minutes in 150 total games. In 72 games in 2013-14, including 42 starts, Roberts averaged 9.4 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 23.2 minutes. He followed that up with averages of 6.7 points, 2.3 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 72 games, including 10 starts for the Hornets in 2014-15.
“We think his ability to shoot and spread the floor is really going to help spread out our offense and bolster our bench,” Cho said at Roberts’ introductory press conference. “We’re really happy to have him. He’s going to be a strong locker room presence and a great teammate.”

Early Season Adjustment
Roberts didn’t score more than five points in his first seven games with the Hornets but started to get some run on Charlotte’s early West Coast trip, averaging 12.0 points through three games on Nov. 11-15. In that span, Roberts shot 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from the field and connected on 62.5 percent (5-of-8) of his 3-point shots.
“He’s very skilled,” assistant coach Steve Hetzel said. “He’s got a great handle, understands the pick-and-roll game and is deceptively strong so he doesn’t get pushed around a lot by defenders. He provides a dual threat, where you can’t just play his shot, you have to play him as a rim threat as well.”

Roberts Breaks Out
Roberts best two-game offensive stretch came on Nov. 26 against Portland (22 points, three 3-pointers) and Nov. 28 against Golden State (20 points, two 3-pointers), where he averaged 21.0 points on 60.7 percent shooting (17-of-28), including 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from long range. He also added 2.0 assists and 2. 0 rebounds in these contests.
“Brian’s been great, and he’s playing really well,” said Walker in early December. “The reason he’s playing so well, is because he works hard. He’s always the first guy here getting shots up and is often the last one to leave as well – that’s what you need in a teammate.”

Stepping Up and Starting
Roberts chance to make an even bigger impact for the Hornets came began on Jan. 17 when he stepped into the starting lineup for Walker, who had underwent surgery on his left knee. In the 12 games from Jan. 17-Feb.10, Roberts was inserted into the Hornets starting lineup for the most part and saw his averages jump to 9.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 30.8 minutes in the course of those 12 games. Overall, Roberts earned 10 starts on the season and averaged 10.5 points, 4.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds as the team’s leading playmaker.
“I feel good about myself in this situation,” Roberts said back in January. “I feel bad for Kemba because he was doing so well and leading this team but this is another opportunity for me to help this team win games and step into a starting role… I know this team needed me to step up and play big, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

Back to the Bench
Things took a different turn for Roberts on Feb. 10 when Mo Williams was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Williams stepped in as the replacement start for Walker after the All-Star break and Roberts was moved back into his reserve role. However, when Walker returned on March 11, Roberts saw his string of playing in 62 games snapped and would be held out of eight of the Hornets next nine games. He finished with averages of 5.5 points, 1.8 assists and 1.6 rebounds, while playing in 20 of Charlotte’s 30 games after the All-Star break.
“You just try to keep a level head and try to get after it every night,” said Roberts. “It was tough for all of us to deal with all of the injuries and a little bit of a slow start to the season… It was something we kind of fought throughout the whole year, but we battled back and kind of came up short at the end and didn’t meet our goals.”

Closing Statement
Despite the up-and-down season from backup to starter to backup to the backup, Roberts never showed any signs it got him down and continued to plug away each day and step up when called upon. He had one of his best games of the season on April 13 against Houston as he racked up 23 points on 8-of-19 shooting (42.1 percent), including 5-of-12 from beyond the arc (41.7 percent) while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists.

2015-16 Outlook
Roberts enters the summer not really knowing what his status will be with the Hornets next season. With Mo Williams entering free agency, Roberts could enter 2015-16 as Walker’s primary backup again, or he could be asked to play the role of the third point guard again. Either way he says he’s going to continue to work to improve his skills in the offseason while working to give himself a physical and mental edge.
“Things were really up-and-down the whole year,” Roberts said in his postseason interview. “I didn’t really find a smooth spot where I could consistently play at the high level I know I can play at. Overall, it was a learning experience and I’m definitely motivated this summer to get after it.”