Devonte’ Graham is the Charlotte Hornets’ Unlikely Savior
While Graham’s rise was unpredictable, his 2019 season is proof of what an enigmatic work ethic can produce.
Quick! Guess who the Charlotte Hornets’ leading scorer is. It’s not Terry Rozier. It’s not Miles Bridges. It’s not P.J. Washington. Nope. It’s the most unlikely one of the batch — the one nobody predicted.
Devonte’ Graham spent four years at Kansas before the Hornets made him the No. 34 overall pick in 2018. At the time, scouts said the 23-year-old’s ceiling was a role player, no higher. But in just his second year, he’s taken those expectations and shattered them. Graham’s high school coach, Jason Smith, said his work ethic sets him apart.
“I think that he’s met every jump and level with the appropriate work ethic and discipline,” Smith said. “He’s never gotten too high, never gotten too low. He had a phenomenal career at Kansas. And I think people are starting to see how talented of a player he is this year in the NBA because he’s been given an opportunity.”
Devonte’ Graham: The Person
Most people don’t know this, but Graham was actually high school teammates with NBA star guard Donovan Mitchell. And while Mitchell has been the better of the two, Smith said they’re actually quite similar.
“A lot of the same qualities that people have learned about Donovan Mitchell based on his success the past couple years, people, when they dive into Devonte’s background, they’re going to learn the exact same thing,” Smith said. “Both of them are off the charts as people.”
Graham is more than just a basketball player, he’s a high-quality human being.
“Devonte’ off the court is amazing,” Smith said. “He’s personable, upbeat, positive, you will be very hard-pressed to meet or speak with anyone who has ever had any interaction with Devonte’ that wouldn’t rave about the type of person he is.”
Unlike most college stars, Graham never had recruiters fighting over him. He wasn’t a highly lauded prospect. He’s always been someone that needed to prove his worth. He’s faced adversity all his life and has come out stronger because of it.
“Despite all that adversity and not knowing what his future would entail he was still basically a straight-A student, an unbelievable member in our community and led us to a New England Championship as well as National Championship,” Smith said. “That just speaks volumes about the type of person he is.”
The Work Ethic To Succeed
Graham was an excellent player for the Kansas Jayhawks, but he was never actually supposed to go there. He initially signed with Appalachian State after graduating high school, but then decided to transfer to Brewster Academy for a post-graduate. It was there when he started receiving national attention and eventually chose Kansas.
As Graham grew stronger and bigger, his continued work ethic propelled him to be great.
“Devonte’s work ethic was tremendous because he wasn’t the product of his huge reputation,” Smith said. “So I think people in basketball understand the different levels between Appalachian State and Kansas — they’re complete opposite ends of the Division I spectrum. And his work ethic is the reason why he was able to not only get recruited and go to Kansas but become a first-team All-American and ultimately an NBA player. It’s directly based on his work ethic and his character.”
Brewster Academy is a first-class high school program that’s seen some huge recruits come through its halls. But the recruits were not so highly heralded the year Mitchell and Graham were present. Smith said he remembers a story from that year where a couple of the players were sitting around and they said: “this is not a typical Brewster team.”
Smith said Graham and Mitchell overheard the conversation and Graham said: “well, what does that mean?”
“Graham basically thought that they were dissing them,” Smith said. “So that week I put Donovan and Devonte’ on the same team in the workouts and they absolutely dominated.”
“And basically, every time that they won a game in an open gym or pickup that week they would regurgitate that comment back, ‘Not a typical Brewster team, not a typical Brewster team’ to the two returning guys who were both top-50 talents in their class.”
Mitchell’s ability to outwork adversity and prove doubters wrong is well documented. But Graham belongs in the same conversation. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, he believes that can be great and that mentality has allowed him to find success his entire career.
The Talent Is Evident
At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Graham isn’t a top-tier athlete, and he’s a bit undersized, but he’s made that moot. His skill set’s been polished after spending four years at Kansas with Bill Self, one of the best player developers in the nation.
Graham’s game starts with two things: shooting and passing. He’s been a lethal 3-point since his college days. This season Graham is shooting 41.5% from beyond the arc on a high volume of shots. It’s not easy to average 8.4 3-point attempts and still maintain that efficiency.
The shooting combined with his elite basketball IQ makes Graham a difficult player to guard. He makes great decisions — something he’s done since his days in Kansas. Graham was one of the best passers in the nation. That trait’s followed him to be the NBA — he’s averaging 7.0 assists this season.
Smith said those are Graham’s most vital traits.
“His strengths are his understanding of the game, and the ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter,” Smith said.
Graham spent four years at college, but he wasn’t always the starter. He’s played all sorts of roles. He’s come off the bench as a spark plug. He’s played an off-ball role starting next to All-American point guard Frank Mason. He’s even played as the lead guard and won Big 12 Player of the Year as a senior. But he’s always thrived.
The versatility is a major plus in today’s era of position-less basketball. Graham can play either guard spot, operate in a catch-and-shoot role or dominate in the pick-and-roll game. He can do whatever you need
Graham might not be the tallest player, but his 6-foot-6 wingspan shores up a lot of concerns on defense. Although undersized, Graham has been an excellent defender since his days at Kansas. He plays hard on that side of the ball.
Simply put, he’s a perfect fit for today’s NBA. Spacing is vital nowadays. Graham uses his lethal range to spread out the teams and he picks apart defenses when they try to double him with his passing ability. He’s become a revelation in Charlotte. But he’s not just a hype piece, the talent is legit.
Final Thoughts
The former Jayhawk is more than just an excellent basketball player, he’s a fantastic human being.
“Devonte’ is one of my all-time favorites, obviously because of his talent level, but just the type of person he is,” Smith said. “There’s no entitlement. He was a tremendously hard worker, highest level character, just a joy to be around every single day.”
Nobody saw the breakout coming, but now he’s a serious candidate as both the Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player. It’s no fluke, Graham’s worked hard to become this good.
So in the end, who is Devonte’ Graham?
“Devonte’ Graham is what you aspire every one of your student-athletes to be: hard-working, high-character, motivated, driven and ultimately successful,” Smith said.
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All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
