Hornets.com Analyzes Jannero Pargo

June 12, 2007

Hornets guard Jannero Pargo authored one of his finest individual games of the season on Jan. 10 in Atlanta, coming off the bench to tally 24 points and drain four three-pointers in a 96-77 victory.

Hornets.com continues its look back at 2006-07 with player-by-player analysis of each Hornet who appeared in at least half of the team’s games last season:

Jannero Pargo
NBA experience: Five seasons (one-plus with Lakers, one with Raptors, two-plus with Bulls, one with Hornets).
Age: 27.
Games played (starts): 82 (7).
Key statistical averages: 9.2 points, 2.5 assists.

What we expected: Pargo was signed in August by the Hornets to the first multi-year contract of his itinerant NBA career. The Arkansas product was projected to be a backup to Chris Paul and Bobby Jackson at point guard, while also logging some minutes as an offensive sparkplug at shooting guard. During his previous stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago, Pargo developed a reputation as a player who could put up big scoring numbers in limited amounts of playing time – in a 2004 game against Milwaukee, he tallied 34 points despite coming off the bench. He tied a Bulls franchise record in that game by canning seven three-pointers.

What went right: Pargo was the most consistent Hornets reserve for much of the campaign and established a new career best for three-point percentage in a season (38.8). He tallied double-digit scoring in 34 different games, including 12 occasions when he played fewer than 24 minutes (less than half of a 48-minute game). Partly as a result of Chris Paul’s ankle injury in December, Pargo was elevated to the starting lineup and joined the first unit for six straight games from Dec. 26 through Jan. 4. The 6-foot-1 combo guard played well in seven total contests as a starter in 2006-07, averaging 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals. In several road games during the latter portion of the season, Pargo provided a much-needed offensive spark for a Hornets offense that bogged down. The 175-pounder was also the lone player on the roster to appear in all 82 games.

What went wrong: Not that it qualified as a big surprise given the Hornets’ depth chart at guard, but when everyone was healthy early in 2006-07, Pargo’s playing time was very sporadic, preventing him from consistently sparking the club. His first game of playing 20-plus minutes occurred on Nov. 24 vs. Minnesota. After Bobby Jackson and Chris Paul returned to the lineup from injuries in January, Pargo again experienced a stretch in which he was minutes dipped significantly. Overall, his 40.9 percent field-goal shooting was below average, but similar to his career numbers.

The future: Pargo has a player option for 2007-08 and can become an unrestricted free agent if he chooses. If he decides to remain with the Hornets, he will be locked into one more season under contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2008. If he’s in a Hornets uniform next season, he will likely be expected to return to a role of playing 10-20 minutes a game and providing the bench with a scoring and energy boost.