Wilson Chandler

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Published: June 17, 2011

   I noticed a couple people asking whether or not Wilson Chandler is really as good as many Hornets247 members believe. I decided to do a little research to give you a solid answer.

Wilson Chandler: 6’8”, 225 lbs (Age: 24)

Rookie Year (2007-2008): Wilson Chandler was selected 23rd overall by the New York Knicks coming out of his sophomore season at DePaul. As a rookie, he played in just 35 games (16 starts), and averaged 7.3 points and shot .438 over 19.6 minutes. He appeared in just 7 of the Knicks’ first 49 games, but then saw action in 28 of the team’s last 33. His averages in his rookie season are very similar to Paul George’s of the Indiana Pacers.

Sophomore Season (2008-2009): Chandler showed continued improvement in every aspect of his game. He started 70 of 82 games for the Knicks his sophomore season, averaging 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds and shot .432 over 33.4 minutes. He was the only Knick to play all 82 games that season. He scored 20+ points 18 times, 2 of which were 30+. He finished the season strong, averaging 16.9 points on .451 shooting over his last 19 games.

(2009-2010): Chandler’s next season was shortened by injury. In 65 games, Chandler averaged a career-high 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and shot a career-high .479 over 35.7 minutes. One glaring weakness in his game this season was his three-ball. He only shot .267 percent from beyond the arc. He notched sixteen 20+ scoring games, one of which was a 35 point effort against the Kings.

(2010-2011): Wilson Chandler continues to develop into one of the most consistent young players in the league. While in New York this past season, he averaged 16.4 points on .461 percent shooting, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and just 1.3 turnovers in 34.5 minutes of play. In Denver, though, his number took a dip across the board. He played 30.6 mpg in Denver through 21 games and averaged 12.5 points on .419 percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.8 turnovers. This could have occurred because he wasn’t used to Coach Karl’s system, or because he wasn’t used to playing the two which he was forced to do some nights. Another reason for his decline could have been because Denver is so packed with talent on the wings (Afflalo, Gallinari, J.R. Smith, Raymond Felton), that he felt he could take on a lesser scoring role and concentrate on being a defense stopper, which probably wasn’t a priority in New York. Either way, he still shows great defensive and offensive abilities that continue to improve. He shot much better from the three last season, at about 35%.

(2010-2011 Postseason): I don’t know how to explain his postseason slump. It could have been caused from having to chase down the likes of Kevin Durant and James Harden and then being guarded by Sefolosha all series long. But still, he played 20.3 minutes and averaged 4.3 points and 4.4 rebounds on .276 percent shooting from the field. Ouch. A drop-off that steep is horrific to say the least. Stage fright was how Coach Karl explained it, which is reasonable, considering it was only his fourth season and he just turned twenty four.

Injured History: Underwent surgery on Jun. 3 to remove bone spurs from left ankle. Underwent left ankle arthroscopy on Apr. 14, to clean out scar tissue…Underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia on May 14, performed by Philadelphia-area Dr. William Meyers.

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