It’s no secret that Frank Kaminsky struggled in his rookie season. The Charlotte Hornets big man did not live up to expectations after being drafted with the ninth overall pick in a loaded class.
Kaminsky struggled all over the court. But the Wyoming product has his eyes set on one particular aspect of his game to improve on.
Following from Kaminsky’s interview with Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:
“I’ve got to be a better overall defender. I was overwhelmed at times,” Kaminsky said. “My preparation, obviously, needs to get better. I so want to be a more consistent player. I’d have a good game and then disappear in the next.”
Well, he’s not wrong.
Kaminsky struggled mightily on the defensive end. If the power forward wants to see more playing time on a playoff contender, he will have to take major steps forward.
Accepting his deficiency is the first step and Kaminsky has clearly done that. He has also seemingly found a veteran mentor in Marvin Williams who had a sneaky great season in Charlotte last year and is coming back on a long term deal:
“Marvin is one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever seen. So, of course, I model myself after Marvin,” Kaminsky said. “His mindset is always the same. He’s the guy who pays attention to every little nick and nuance of the game.
“Say, you go over something once in a shootaround before a game. The (other) team might run that play once in a game. And before that happens, he knows it’s coming. That’s the way I want to be. He just knows it’s coming.”
Frank Kaminsky has more than enough time to figure things out. His rookie season was not indicative of a significantly good player in the future. But it was just his rookie season. He will look to take a huge step forward in his second year.
