The most overrated player? A 24-year-old three-goal, internet celebrity player or the core of the team?

In the preseason, the Hornets defeated the Mavericks 120-116 in an away game.

This was the Hornets' third preseason game this year. Their star player delivered a very good performance with three goals: he only played 23 minutes, made 8 of 13 shots, 4 of 8 three-pointers, and scored 20 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists.

Note that although the Hornets only won by 4 points in this game, their plus-minus of three goals was as high as +27, ranking first in the team.

In the first two preseason games, although the Hornets lost to the Thunder, their three-goal personal performance was also very good:

- In the first game, he only played less than 15 minutes, shooting 4 of 7 from the field, 3 of 6 three-pointers, and scored 11 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists

- In the second game, He only played less than 25 minutes, shooting 5 of 8, 4 of 6 three-pointers, and scored 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

In the current three preseason games, he averaged 15.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in all three games, with a shooting percentage of 60.7%, a three-point shooting percentage of 55.0%, and a true shooting percentage of 79.6%.

One thing to say is that in these three games, the performance of three-pointers is indeed good. A total of 11 of 20 three-pointers are extremely efficient, and the style of play is as good as ever. In just three games, they sent out multiple top-10 three-pointers and passes.

But we all know that this is just the preseason. Since entering the NBA as the third overall pick in 2020, the doubts surrounding him have never been heard.

Take last season as an example, he also had a blast with three goals at the beginning. In the first 18 games, he scored 30 points or more in 12 games, including consecutive games against the Bucks and Magic. He also scored 50 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists, and 44 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists respectively.

After 18 games at that time, the three goals scored were: 31.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, second in the league in scoring, second only to Antetokounmpo (32.4 points), 43.0% shooting from the field, 35.6% from three-point range (4.7 per game), and 56.4% true shooting percentage.

However, starting from the 19th game, three goals began to miss due to injury. In the end, he only played 29 games in the last 64 games. His data dropped significantly: he averaged 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game. His scoring efficiency also declined, with a field goal percentage of 38.4%, a three-point shooting percentage of 32.5%, and a true shooting percentage of 51.4%.

Last season's "high start" made Three-Goal's popularity even higher. In the All-Star voting, his fan votes can be said to be far ahead in the Eastern Conference backcourt. However, in the end due to insufficient votes from players and media, Three-Goal did not even make the All-Star. This is the first time in history that the Eastern Conference's backcourt vote leader missed the All-Star.

"Going low" more reflects some of the current problems of the three goals. He is a player with very strong offensive creativity. Whether he is attacking with the ball or passing the ball, he is very enjoyable to watch. However, in terms of personal offense, he has never been an efficient player. Those unreasonable three-pointers with the ball will be among the top ten goals. Unfortunately, the probability of not scoring is much greater than the probability of scoring.

In addition, the turnover rate of three goals is also high. Last season, he averaged 7.4 assists per game and had 3.6 turnovers. The previous season, he averaged 8 assists and had 3.8 turnovers. In the three preseason games that just ended, there were a total of 13 assists for three goals, but 9 turnovers, which is also very exaggerated.

And, there are two very crucial points:

1. Can the three goals stay healthy? You know, in the past three seasons, Three Goals only played 47, 22, and 36 games respectively, and missed an average of 47 games each season. For comparison, Edwards, the No. 1 pick in the same class as Three Goals, has only missed 9 games in the past three years, and has only missed 19 games so far in his career.

2. Is Sangoo a player who can help the team win? Even in the "high start" stage last season, he only led the Hornets to 6 wins and 12 losses. Of course, the Hornets' failure is not a problem of three goals and one person, but as a core and top-paid player, his influence on the court is indeed insufficient. When three goals were on the court last season, the Hornets lost 3.1 points per 100 possessions. The previous season was even more exaggerated, reaching 8.4 points.

Even with all the above doubts, one thing I have to admit is that San Goal is still the best player of this Hornets. Last season, his offensive BPM reached +4.1, ranking first in the team in breaks, which also shows that he is really capable.

Interestingly, in a poll this offseason, Sango was rated as the "most overrated player currently active." People are now more willing to view him as an internet celebrity player, rather than as a true team-building core.

All in all, Three Goals in the new season really has a lot to prove himself. The good thing is that he is only 24 years old now, and Brandon Miller and Bridges around him are also very capable.

But whether the team has talent and whether it can fulfill its talent are two different things. I hope that the three goals in the new season and the Hornets can bring some surprises to the fans. It is already the sixth year, and there should be some changes.