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But the two-time All-Star said he’s not going to spend the offseason dwelling on where he’ll be playing next season.

Walker has one year remaining on a four-year Ravens Authentic Jerseys , $48 million contract and while he’d like to remain with the Hornets – where he’s the franchise’s all-time leading scorer – he knows nothing is for certain after a second straight non-playoff season prompted team owner Michael Jordan to hire Mitch Kupchak as the new general manager.

That means that if Kupchak decides a massive rebuilding project is in order, Walker could be the first one out the door given he’s the team’s biggest bargaining chip and has a favorable contract.

”I have no idea,” Walker said Wednesday regarding his future after Charlotte’s regular season finale. ”That is out of my control. I am just going to focus on getting better as a player. That is really all you can do. I don’t know what they are going to do.”

The 6-foot-1 Walker is coming off three tremendous seasons in Charlotte where he has averaged more than 20 points and five assists per game.

Walker, who led Connecticut to a national championship, has never won a playoff series since his arrival in Charlotte six seasons ago.

Kupchak offered no hints over the team’s plans with Walker during an introductory press conference on Tuesday.

”My understanding is he is great in the locker room and great in the community,’ Kupchak said. ”I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to have a player like that going forward.”

Other things to know about the Hornets heading into the offseason:

NOT GOING THERE: While some other star players have been outspoken about what their team needs personnel-wise to get better, Walker refused to go down that path. ”I don’t want to answer that question because it could get real ugly,” Walker said. ”I will leave it up to the guys upstairs.”

CLIFFORD’S FUTURE: Coach Steve Clifford said he felt this was the most talented team he’s had with the Hornets, which made finishing 10 games under .500 all the more disappointing. His future with the team remains uncertain after his teams have failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs the last five seasons.

”The NBA is about winning in the playoffs, so if you want to look back at our five years I do feel very good about where we are and how we are perceived versus where it was five years ago,” Clifford said. ”We made great gains. To be relevant and respected in this league is a long way from where we started.”

HOWARD’S BIG SEASON: Hornets center Dwight Howard enjoyed an impressive bounce back season with Charlotte individually, averaging 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots in 81 games after struggling to find his way in Houston and Atlanta the previous two years resulting in him being traded twice. ”This year really showed a lot of people this guy really takes this game seriously,” said Howard, who finished with a franchise-record 53 double-doubles.

PLAYING WITH HOWARD: While Howard excelled, several players had to learn to adjust their games to play with him, including Nic Batum. He excelled with Cody Zeller in the pick-and-roll the previous seasons, but Batum spent more time dumping the ball to Howard in the low post and said he had to adjust his own game to play with Howard.

”I thought I feed him the ball a lot inside and play through him because he’s so big and has so much potential inside Womens Jared McCann Jersey ,” Batum said. ”If you have a guy like that you have to use him. … Did I give up a lot of my game? Yes, maybe. But I don’t care as long as it is good for the team.”

HORNETS LACKED SPIRIT: One overriding theme of Clifford’s post-season press conference was that he felt his team lacked ”spirit” this season. ”We’ve always had spirit,” Clifford said, ”but we didn’t have that this year. Some games (we did). But not nearly the togetherness, the spirit that we’ve had for years. And they know that. I’ve let them know. So you do have to look at that and I don’t know what the answer is. But it has to start with me.”

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COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa set an NFL record with 19 sacks in his first 20 career games.

He recorded at least 10 1/2 sacks in each of his first two seasons, but Bosa and the Chargers insist the best is yet to come.

”I think there’s so much I have to work on that I have an idea in my head of what I want things to look like and how I want to be as a player, and I’m not anywhere near those things, but I know I’m making the right steps in that direction,” Bosa said Sunday.

Cornerback Casey Hayward has never been shy in sharing his belief that Bosa could become the best defender in football. It was only reinforced last season as Bosa’s pass rush skills helped contribute to Hayward intercepting four passes.

”Made my life a lot easier,” Hayward said. ”A couple of my picks last year came off Joey hitting the guy, wobbly ball, I take all of them.”

Entering his third season, the next step in Bosa’s development could come from a better understanding of coordinator Gus Bradley’s 4-3 defense. The Chargers were productive in 2017 while transitioning to Bradley’s system, finishing third in points per game allowed, tied for fifth in sacks, and sixth in takeaways. Those rankings could improve as the coaches, players and front office are more comfortable with what will allow the defense to succeed in this iteration.

The Chargers added depth in the draft Authentic Kyle Quincey Jersey Kids , with Bosa praising defensive lineman Justin Jones and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu for their ability to get to the quarterback. The progression of second-year defensive end Isaac Rochell could result in Bosa staying fresh by allowing Bradley to rotate more. The 280-pound Bosa could play inside if Rochell is capable of creating pressure off the edge consistently, allowing Bradley to use his most disruptive players together in obvious passing situations.

Bosa, who had 12 1/2 sacks last season as the bookend to Melvin Ingram, could cause more havoc if opponents cannot focus all their attention on stopping the two standout defensive ends.

”Joey can improve,” coach Anthony Lynn said. ”I don’t think he has reached his peak yet at all, and the better we get on that defensive line and create more one-on-one matchups, that’s going to help his success as well.”

But Bosa will never put a target on his individual production going into his season after recognizing that chasing personal goals often comes at the expense of both the individual and the team.

”If you want to get 15 sacks and you’re out there doing your own things to get sacks, more than likely you’re going to hurt the team and not get a sack rather than you just doing your job and you falling into one,” Bosa said. ”I’ve come to realize when I’m really out there trying to make a play like that, I do something wrong and they’ll break a run or whatever. But if I I stay within myself and the defense, it usually works out pretty well.”

Bosa’s zen mentality carries over to his offseason workouts. He stresses developing his overall athleticism rather than addressing any particular football technique. That regiment makes the first week of training camp something of a transition period, with Bosa joking he is focused on ”lining up right.”

Still, Hayward sees how Bosa approaches the game spilling over to the rest of the team. If Bosa can improve on his momentous initial returns, that bodes well for the Chargers as a whole.

”That’s definitely contagious. You see that, you want to work just as hard as he does,” Hayward said.

NOTES: Rookie tight end Austin Roberts tore his ACL on Saturday, Lynn said. . The Chargers will practice in full pads for the first time Monday.

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