The Hornets have to be ecstatic with the play of their rookies this year. 22-year old point guard Darren Collison was outstanding for the Hornets last season. He played in 76 games (37 starts) for the Hornets this year and he averaged 27.8 minutes, 12.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He shot 40% from three point range this season which is also outstanding. Collison’s emergence could make the Hornets comfortable in trading Chris Paul which is crazy when you think about it. 22-year old shooting guard Marcus Thornton was also outstanding this year for the Hornets. Thornton played in 73 games (17 starts) for the Hornets this season and he averaged 25.6 minutes, 14.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. No team did better in the NBA Draft last season overall than the Hornets did, period.

Something has gotten into rookie shooting guard Marcus Thornton lately. In his last 5 games, Thornton is averaging 32.8 minutes, 26.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He is shooting an amazing 53.8% from three point range in his last five games for the Hornets. Overall, Thornton has played in 52 games (6 starts) for the Hornets this year and he is averaging 22.3 minutes, 12.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. He is now shooting 40.2% from three point range this season. Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton have really given the Hornets a huge boost in the absence of Chris Paul and they hope they keep up the good work.

The New Orleans Hornets’ star point guard Chris Paul has missed 12 straight games with a knee injury, but the Hornets have still  been getting great production from the point guard position.  That is because CP3’s rookie back-up, Darren Collison, is playing some great basketball for the Hornets.  Since Paul’s injury, Collison has stepped in as the starting point guard for the Hornets and in the 12 games without Paul he is averaging 20.5 points, 9.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and is shooting 48% from the field and 35% from three.  Those numbers are very close to the season averages Paul had before his injury:  20.4 points, 11.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 50% FG, and 42% from three.  The Hornets are 5-7 in Paul’s absence, but they should be happy with that record as most expected the Hornets to completely fall apart without their superstar.  Collison is proving he can be a great point guard in this league and Chris Paul doesn’t have to worry about rushing back from injury.  That being said, Paul still makes the Hornets a much better team and Collison may not be able to continue playing at such a high level, especially since he is just a rookie.

With Chris Paul out for the next 4-8 weeks it’s up to rookie Darren Collison to run the offense. He has played in 41 games (9 starts) for the Hornets this season and he is averaging 17.4 minutes, 6.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. The problem with Collison is that he is not as good as Paul at anything making this a tough job for him. He is shooting 41.4% from the floor and 29.4% from three point range so the Hornets will probably have him passing a lot more than he is used to. Collison’s play will determine if the Hornets still have a shot for the playoffs when Chris Paul returns.

PG Darren Collison and SG Marcus Thornton are both playing well when they get a chance to play. Collison has played in 28 games (8 starts) for the Hornets so far this season and he is averaging 17.9 minutes, 7.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. When you are playing behind Chris Paul you don’t get many minutes so the Hornets are very impressed that Collison is staying sharp. Marcus Thornton has played in 26 games (0 starts) for the Hornets this season and he is averaging 17.4 minutes, 8.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game this year. He is only shooting 39.6% from the floor and that will need to improve if he’s going to start playing more at some point this season. Still, the Hornets couldn’t be much happier with their rookies than they are right now.