Last week the Hornets signed point guard Dennis Smith Jr. on a one-year nonguaranteed contract. From a roster construction standpoint, the move makes a lot of sense given the Hornets glaring lack of depth at the point guard spot. Yes, LaMelo Ball will likely play somewhere around 32-34 minutes and there can be times when he’s on the bench and Terry Rozier leads the offense, but even then they need a more capable backup at the point.
Last year Ish Smith played 37 games as backup point guard with the Hornets and averaged about 14 minutes per game before being traded.