State of the Hornets: David West
June 26, 2007
David West poured in a season-best 33 points in an April 10 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. That performance commenced a five-game stretch in which West averaged 30.8 points.This concludes Hornets.com’s 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.
Armstrong | Brown | Butler | Chandler | B.Jackson | M.Jackson | Johnson | Mason | Pargo | Paul | Simmons
David West
NBA experience: Four seasons with Hornets.
Age: 26.
Games played (starts): 52 (52).
Key statistical averages: 18.3 points, 6.2 rebounds.
What we expected: West surprised observers around the NBA in 2005-06 by increasing his scoring average from 6.2 to 17.1 points per game. He also bumped his rebounding rate from 4.3 to 7.4 per game after an injury-plagued and disappointing 2004-05 campaign, his second in the NBA. As a result, the Xavier (Ohio) product finished as a runner-up to Phoenix’s Boris Diaw in the NBA’s 2005-06 Most Improved Player voting. Media members and basketball fans were curious to see how West would follow up his breakthrough performance, a season in which he snuck up on opponents and wasn’t a part of opponents’ game-planning until later in the season.
What went right: Over 52 games played, the 6-foot-9 power forward proved that his 2005-06 production was no fluke. West established career-best single-season averages in scoring (18.3 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg) and assists (2.2). In April, the former National College Player of the Year enjoyed the finest individual month of his four-year pro career, putting up 25.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest. He was a dominant offensive performer over the final five games of the campaign, topping the 30-point mark in games against the Clippers (twice), Denver and Houston, averaging 30.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks during that stretch. West’s value to the Hornets was evidenced by the club’s record in the games he missed due to injury. New Orleans went just 11-19 (.367 winning percentage) during the 30-game span when West was out with an elbow injury. The Hornets were 28-24 (.538 winning percentage) with their leading scorer on the floor.
What went wrong: West sustained a freak elbow injury during the Hornets’ Nov. 12 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers, forcing him to miss the next 30 games. New Orleans won its next four games without West, then proceeded to drop 19 of the next 26 outings. As a result, the Hornets went from opening the season with a franchise-best 4-0 record to struggling to remain in playoff contention by mid-January. Four games after returning from his elbow injury, West suffered an ankle sprain at Toronto on Jan. 24. Although he played through the ailment, he was clearly not 100 percent initially. Overall, one area that declined for West in 2006-07 was his field-goal percentage, which went from 51.2 to 47.6. He appeared to display less confidence in his jumper from 18 to 20 feet, after he had developed into a lethal shooter from that range throughout 2005-06.
The future: Through his four NBA seasons, West has progressed rapidly as a player when he’s been healthy. He missed 52 games as a second-year pro, severely curtailing his development, then was out for 30 games last season, which may have been one of the biggest factors in the Hornets not qualifying for the playoffs. West’s first objective will be to avoid injury in 2007-08. If he does so, he should continue his quiet ascension into the league’s elite group of power forwards. After agreeing to a long-term contract extension during the 2006 offseason, West is signed through 2010-11. He is the lone Hornet whose deal extends into ’10-11. Two others – Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic – are under contract through 2009-10.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Here’s what Hornets.com heard about West in 2006-07:
Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Steve Aschburner:
“I’ve always liked David West – he makes a big difference. I’ve seen him play (evenly) with Kevin Garnett.”
Memphis radio play-by-play broadcaster Eric Hasseltine:
“I thought David West was robbed of the Most Improved Player award last year, even though I realize that Boris Diaw was a great story in Phoenix. But you’re talking about a guy who basically sat the bench for two years, then became a 20-point scorer. Losing him (to injury) really hurts.”
Cleveland TV analyst Scott Williams:
“When they get a healthy David West, who is a beast, (the Hornets) will be tough.”
David West poured in a season-best 33 points in an April 10 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. That performance commenced a five-game stretch in which West averaged 30.8 points.
Armstrong | Brown | Butler | Chandler | B.Jackson | M.Jackson | Johnson | Mason | Pargo | Paul | Simmons
David West
NBA experience: Four seasons with Hornets.
Age: 26.
Games played (starts): 52 (52).
Key statistical averages: 18.3 points, 6.2 rebounds.
What we expected: West surprised observers around the NBA in 2005-06 by increasing his scoring average from 6.2 to 17.1 points per game. He also bumped his rebounding rate from 4.3 to 7.4 per game after an injury-plagued and disappointing 2004-05 campaign, his second in the NBA. As a result, the Xavier (Ohio) product finished as a runner-up to Phoenix’s Boris Diaw in the NBA’s 2005-06 Most Improved Player voting. Media members and basketball fans were curious to see how West would follow up his breakthrough performance, a season in which he snuck up on opponents and wasn’t a part of opponents’ game-planning until later in the season.
What went right: Over 52 games played, the 6-foot-9 power forward proved that his 2005-06 production was no fluke. West established career-best single-season averages in scoring (18.3 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg) and assists (2.2). In April, the former National College Player of the Year enjoyed the finest individual month of his four-year pro career, putting up 25.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest. He was a dominant offensive performer over the final five games of the campaign, topping the 30-point mark in games against the Clippers (twice), Denver and Houston, averaging 30.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks during that stretch. West’s value to the Hornets was evidenced by the club’s record in the games he missed due to injury. New Orleans went just 11-19 (.367 winning percentage) during the 30-game span when West was out with an elbow injury. The Hornets were 28-24 (.538 winning percentage) with their leading scorer on the floor.
What went wrong: West sustained a freak elbow injury during the Hornets’ Nov. 12 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers, forcing him to miss the next 30 games. New Orleans won its next four games without West, then proceeded to drop 19 of the next 26 outings. As a result, the Hornets went from opening the season with a franchise-best 4-0 record to struggling to remain in playoff contention by mid-January. Four games after returning from his elbow injury, West suffered an ankle sprain at Toronto on Jan. 24. Although he played through the ailment, he was clearly not 100 percent initially. Overall, one area that declined for West in 2006-07 was his field-goal percentage, which went from 51.2 to 47.6. He appeared to display less confidence in his jumper from 18 to 20 feet, after he had developed into a lethal shooter from that range throughout 2005-06.
The future: Through his four NBA seasons, West has progressed rapidly as a player when he’s been healthy. He missed 52 games as a second-year pro, severely curtailing his development, then was out for 30 games last season, which may have been one of the biggest factors in the Hornets not qualifying for the playoffs. West’s first objective will be to avoid injury in 2007-08. If he does so, he should continue his quiet ascension into the league’s elite group of power forwards. After agreeing to a long-term contract extension during the 2006 offseason, West is signed through 2010-11. He is the lone Hornet whose deal extends into ’10-11. Two others – Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic – are under contract through 2009-10.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Here’s what Hornets.com heard about West in 2006-07:
Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Steve Aschburner:
“I’ve always liked David West – he makes a big difference. I’ve seen him play (evenly) with Kevin Garnett.”
Memphis radio play-by-play broadcaster Eric Hasseltine:
“I thought David West was robbed of the Most Improved Player award last year, even though I realize that Boris Diaw was a great story in Phoenix. But you’re talking about a guy who basically sat the bench for two years, then became a 20-point scorer. Losing him (to injury) really hurts.”
Cleveland TV analyst Scott Williams:
“When they get a healthy David West, who is a beast, (the Hornets) will be tough.”
