According to multiple reports, the Bobcats have added Jeff Adrien, Dajuan Summers, Paris Horne and Josh Owens to their training camp roster. The name that stands out to me the most is Jeff Adrien.

The undrafted, former Connecticut forward stands at 6’7 and around 240 lbs and has played 31 games in two seasons with the Warriors and Rockets. Adrien signed a training camp deal with the Bobcats after reported interest from the Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, Clippers and Rockets. While it’s certainly likely that Adrien is just another training camp guy who will flame out, what he specializes in is something this team lacks dearly: rebounding. Last season the Bobcats ranked 29th in total rebounding and 26th in offensive rebounding. While it’s a limited sample size, Adrien averages 11.1 rebounds per 36 minutes for his career, a 23.4 total rebounding percentage and a 17.6 total rebounding percentage.

If you compare these numbers to last years Bobcats, Adrien would have led the team in each of the three categories. Rebounding is going to play a big part in the Bobcats renewed defensive focus, especially considering the tempo they’ll be trying to play at. It’s stating the obvious, but the best defensive teams have to be strong rebounding teams in order to close out a possession. Offensively, rebounding can give a poor scoring team more chances to get points.

This isn’t a campaign for Adrien, but just a mere look at the strength he brings that currently nobody else on the team has. Adrien is undersized, but in college he was known for having a terrific motor and being exceptionally athletic. This was the likely appeal for championship contenders such as the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs. Right now the Bobcats are in desperate need for a player like Adrien who doesn’t need the ball to put his imprint on the game, just like summer league standout Malcolm Thomas, who the Bobcats were very interested in. We’ll see how he does in training camp, but on a team with no power forward depth, it would make sense that Adrien starts the season with the team.

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