In my preseason mind, D.J. Augustin was destined to have a pretty crummy year for the Bobcats. He was coming off of a poor-shooting sophomore campaign in which his confidence was shredded by Larry Brown, and it was hard to imagine D.J. leading the ‘Cats to a successful season. Even if Charlotte somehow made the playoffs, it seemed likely that Augustin would merely be along for the ride.
Some of that was correct, and some of that is wrong. But to Augustin’s credit, he’s quietly put together a pretty impressive season so far. It’s just unfortunate that the same can’t be said for his team.
Augustin has made a full offensive rebound. His shooting percentages have started to trend toward his rookie season numbers, and his assists per 36 minutes have jumped from 4.7 to 7.5. Augustin isn’t a terrible offensive player, and it’s good to see him recapture some of the elements that made him such a fun rookie. But despite how impressive Augustin’s play has been, the Bobcats’ offense is as stagnant as ever. In relative terms, Charlotte’s offense jumped from 24th in the league last year to 21st this season, but they really only improved by 0.3 points per 100 possessions. I’ve got nothing against improvement (even of the marginal variety), but even Augustin’s offensive talents aren’t enough to compensate for Charlotte’s depressed defense.
The best defense in the league last season is currently ranked 15th overall, and Augustin is a part of that. His overall season may be better than expected, but Augustin’s defense is as poor as previously thought. He tries, he’s just too small to effectively challenge shots and tends to get caught on screens. It’s a bummer because Augustin’s heart really is in the right place (even if it’s clear he doesn’t value defensive possessions to the same level he does offensive ones), he’s just not well-suited to defend NBA point guards. Augustin can’t be blamed for the entirety of his team’s defensive drop-off, but there’s a distinct difference between Raymond Felton’s defense and Augustin’s.
So kudos to Augustin for his three straight games of 10 assists or more. Good on him that he has the highest assist-to-turnover ratio of any point guard in the league. It’s just not enough. The finer end of the floor calls Augustin to collect debt, and despite all that he’s earned on offense, he and the Bobcats still struggle to turn a profit.