Dwayne Bacon ended last season on something of a high note, scoring in double-figures semi-consistently including a trifecta of 20-burgers. I will not debase myself so far as to use the adjective “sizzling” to describe his performances, but he was definitely giving Hornets fans some hope for the future. Which is something they need really badly right now. Hope, and also a whole lot of prayers. Clasp your hands, get down on your knees, and start begging for salvation.
All of a sudden, due to some key departures, there are a bunch of minutes and shots available for the taking on the Hornets for anyone who wants to take them. In game 1 out of 82, it looks like Bacon was the guy who wanted those shots. 21 shots is a lot for a guy like Bacon. That’s like 25 percent more shots than he’s ever taken before in a single game.
The good news is that he had more points than field goal attempts. That’s the first easy-to-meet criterion for checking to see if a nice scoring performance is actually good or just the result of unabashed chucking. It doesn’t guarantee the quality of a performance, but it’s a start. The other bit of good news is that he was relatively clutch, and the Hornets somehow won the game. They’re not going to hit 23 threes every night, but at the same time, Bacon isn’t going to go 8 for 21 every night. Some nights he’s going to go 4 of 14, or 5 of 12, or 1 of 7. And I’m really looking forward to it.