The Charlotte Bobcats have won just 28 games over the past two seasons, but for the first time in years there is some hope for the franchise, as the team signed Al Jefferson as a free agent in the offseason and retained Gerald Henderson as a restricted free agent.
Trade talk persisted as the team worked on a deal with Henderson and now that he signed back to the franchise, the team can focus on the future and with a young core in hand, things could be on the way up for the franchise that will be renamed the Hornets after this season. Henderson returns after averaging over 15 points per game and he gives the Bobcats a legitimate scoring threat on the outside and this offseason he is working on adding more to his game.
According to Pro Basketabll Talk, Henderson has worked on shooting threes during the offseason to help add more to his game and he added that one reason was because of the signing of Jefferson. Henderson added that he should be open for more threes and that is because of the likely double teams in Jefferson. Henderson shot less than 25 percent from three two years ago and 33 percent last season and if he can improve that just a bit, his scoring should go up as well. The team signed him a three year deal worth $18 million and that is a bargain for the team, as they see Henderson as a budding star.
"I think with more attention on guys down low it frees up the perimeter a bunch," Henderson said. "Any team with a good big man, you will see the guards get more freedom and have more open shots. With Al, teams are going to have to double team him so you have more chances for open shots."
The team originally selected Henderson with the 12th overall pick back in 2009 and he has developed into a nice player, but not an elite scorer. Last season he set a career high with h 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and one steal in 31.4 minutes per game and after being given a $4.2 million qualifying offer, he will have to figure out what the next move is.
Henderson was excellent at the end of the season while averaging 18.9 points per game in 30 appearances after the All-Star break. The Bobcats also selected Cody Zeller in the draft to join a young core that also includes Kemba Walker. The team got rid of Tyrus Thomas to make room for Jefferson and also signed Zeller to a contract. Last season the team had issues scoring inside and having Jefferson in the fold will only improve that.
