By Sam Perley, hornets.com
2015-16 Review | Spencer Hawes
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Tipping Off
Another fresh face to the Charlotte roster this past season was veteran big man, Spencer Hawes, who was acquired via trade with the Los Angeles Clippers shortly before the 2015 NBA Draft last June. Coming off what he described as “a tough year individually” during Hornets Media Day last September, Hawes managed to turn things around during his first season in Charlotte despite dealing with some painful, reoccurring lower back issues that sidelined him for a large portion of the post-All-Star Break schedule.
Hawes Heads to Charlotte
After spending just one season with the Clippers, Hawes was traded to Charlotte along with teammate, Matt Barnes, on June 15, 2015 in a deal that sent Lance Stephenson to Los Angeles (Barnes was later traded to the Memphis Grizzlies). With this being his fourth different team in the last two years in addition to a crowded frontcourt rotation, it took a little while for Hawes to get going in Charlotte as he averaged 4.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 16.2 minutes in 16 games through the month of November. He did find alternative ways to make an impact on the team’s success though as Hornets rookie, Frank Kaminsky, credited the nine-year NBA veteran Hawes as one of the primary figures in assisting him during his initial transition from the collegiate to professional ranks during this time period.
Starting to Heat Up
Hawes kicked off the final month of the calendar year with a pair of double-digit scoring performances, tallying 12 points at home against the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 2 and 14 points in a 102-96 road win over the Chicago Bulls three days later. He made it through nine more games before lower back tightness sidelined him for the next five outings. He returned for a road game against Golden State on Jan. 4 and roughly two weeks later finally notched his first big performance of the season in a 120-116 overtime road win in Orlando on Jan. 22. Hawes poured in 16 points and a season-high-tying 10 rebounds while also knocking down a go-ahead three-pointer with 17 seconds left in overtime to help the Hornets pull out the victory over the Magic, despite trailing by 15 at the start of the fourth quarter. Three days later, Hawes notched a season-high 18 points and seven rebounds in a 129-128 double-overtime road win over the Sacramento Kings. He finished off the first half of the season with averages of 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 47 games for the Hornets.
Injuries Slow Things Down
When the Hornets returned to action on Feb. 19 following the NBA All-Star Break, Hawes remained on the sidelines with the same lower back issues he dealt with earlier in the season. He missed 17 more games during this stretch before returning for 20 minutes of play in a 105-100 road win over the Brooklyn Nets on March 22. His minutes would fluctuate for the rest of the season although he was not forced to miss any more extended time due to injury. He finished the year with averages of 6.0 points on 40.5 percent shooting (37.3 percent from three-point range), 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 18.2 minutes per game, all of which were higher than what he posted with the Clippers last season.
Hawes entered the postseason with 26 career NBA playoff games to his name, giving him one of the highest totals of any player on the roster. He notched averages of 3.6 points on 46.2 percent shooting and 3.2 rebounds in 10.6 minutes through the team’s first five games against the Miami Heat, which also included a game-high eight boards in Charlotte’s 89-85 victory in Game 4. His postseason would end slightly earlier than the rest of the team’s as he suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee in Game 5, knocking him out for the remainder of the playoffs.
2016-17 Season Outlook
Hawes’ current contract is guaranteed through next season, after which he will have a player option for the 2017-18 NBA campaign. Despite the initial adjustments and late-season injury woes, Hawes remained excited about his and the team’s future during exit interviews on May 2:
“Hopefully we can keep as much of the team together as possible. I think with another year of playing together and having guys be healthy, I think there is a lot of potential with this group. With that being said, we know how the game goes, how the business side goes but I think there’s a [heck] of a foundation in place going forward,” said Hawes. “The guys that are successful in this league, the guys that have longevity try and add something or refine something every offseason. I think for me, the thing I look to focus on is just trying to get back and work on my post game and being a threat down there. Getting back to something I did a lot more earlier on in my career [and trying to] refine that,” he added.