P.J. Hairston has a case for being one of the worst starters in the league. Not his fault. Well, it is his fault for not being better at basketball, but it is not his fault that he is forced to start. The Hornets simply don’t have another small forward on the roster.
He is also a victim of the “punched a kid” curse, a curse that befalls NBA players when they punch kids of high-school age or younger. Not his fault. Well, it is his fault because he did punch a kid, but it is not his fault that such a curse exists and dooms those who are under its spell to shoot under 35% on field goals.
It’s been a while since the kid-punching incident, a year and a half, so maybe the curse is lifting. P.J. had surprisingly scored double digits in a couple of games this season, and now has recorded his first 20 point game as well as his first 10 rebound game. At the same time. The fabled career high in career-highs.