Charlotte Hornets' new guard, Tony Parker, impresses in the early days

For those who doubt that the new Charlotte Hornets guard, Tony Parker, who is in his 18th NBA season, can still play, consider his debut Wednesday night as your answer:

he absolutely still has some games

Parker's benchmark – eight points, seven assists and three rebounds in 20 minutes – may not stand out as the 41 points scored by Kemba Walker, or even the 18 that Malik Monk managed to pull off the bench, but the numbers on a piece of paper do not tell the whole story.

For if it was not Tony Parker, the 113-112 defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks would not have been so close.

"We did not start the match very well," said striker Nic Batum. "It's a guy who came and woke us up, really."

Parker entered the game with about three and a half minutes to play in the first quarter, and the Hornets have already lost 15 seconds. Not ideal. But then, Parker did exactly what he'd done in the last 17 years as a San Antonio Spurs star.

He was a spark. He was a stabilizer. And frankly, he was just a very good basketball player. Parker made his first two shots in a Hornet uniform, a pair of jumpers.

"It's weird to have him in this team, not to see him wearing a Spurs jersey," he laughed after the match – and immediately instilled a sense of calm. He fed Monk to the wing, Willy Hernangomez and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the painting, and when none of these options came up, he created something for himself.

Tony Parker classic.

But its true value – the reason the Hornets used their little cap available this summer to sign it – became evident in the fourth quarter. New Hornets coach James Borrego throws Parker into the game with an unorthodox and ultra-small team, alongside Walker and Monk in the backcourt.

And in a way, it worked. Perfectly.

In reality, "somehow" is not a fair assessment. Of course it worked. With Parker managing the point, it freed Walker and Monk to move in space and reach their targets. No energy wasted dribbling or keeping the ball in the limits. Just the two best shooters of the team that open, and at Parker, finally a replacement able to find them.

"I love it, and Kemba loves it because it's a bit of a rest," Parker said. "He can just go out of the choices. He is our best shooter on the team, so I can just lead the leader, call the right pieces for him and put him in positions where he is comfortable.

"He saves his legs for his shots."

So, with Walker out of the ball and Parker in control of the offensive, the Hornets scored 14-2 and tied the mark at 101. Ignore for a second that they finally lost – Walker missed a lay-up with 10 seconds and Batum 3 missed the goal – but rather appreciate the fact that Parker allowed the team to come back.

But – and of course, there is a "but" – if there was a problem with Parker's debut, it was:

At 36, after a leg injury at the end of his career, Parker still played 20 minutes.

No matter how good it was, it's probably not sustainable.

"I got to a point where I was a little uncomfortable (with his minutes)," said Borrego. "I thought he needed (a break), but the group just wanted to continue and as a coach, let's play that a little bit.

"I wanted to give it a quick shot, but I do not have enough time out. But I thought Tony was fabulous tonight.

And that's where the only problem with Parker lies. After 17 years of stability in San Antonio, he was brought into this organization to provide leadership, champion pedigree, winning culture and a decade and a half of NBA experience. Parker said during the pre-season that he had not joined the Hornets to serve as a coach. The man wants to play.

After the way he watched Wednesday night, you can see why.

But if the Hornets have to make the most of Parker, it will not be playing 20 minutes a night. Having an average of 15 to 20 minutes is an optimistic goal, albeit a bit ambitious – and the team can not be tempted to overplay it, even if it's one of its best players.

Parker said after the match that Borrego, a former Spurs assistant coach, knew how to handle his minutes.

"He's used to it," said Parker de Borrego. "(The Spurs coach, Greg Popovich) did an amazing job with me and my body, resting and controlling whether I was playing back to back or not. JB has been with me for 11 years (in fact, 10 years) with the Spurs, so we will play by sensations. Right now, I feel good.

"I do not plan to rest back to back at the moment, but we'll see when it's January, February if I change my mind."

If the Hornets face a two-year drought in the playoffs this season, Parker must be an important part of it. He will have to provide the same energy, the same calm and the same skills he had made when he started on Wednesday.

He knows it and his teammates too.

"That's the reason he's here," Batum said. That's why he has been a champion throughout his career. That's why it's Tony Parker. That's why he has four rings. That's why he's an All-Star six times. That's why he is the ultimate player in the final. This is the reason why he will go to the first round of the Hall of Famer. That's why we signed it.

But despite all the praise from Parker, and as essential as it was during his debut with Hornets, he will also present a challenge for Borrego.

Stick to the plan with its minutes, or if necessary, play it anyway.

It's a tightrope on which to walk, and a Borrego will have to adapt to move forward. Nevertheless, after his debut with the Hornets, we can say two things about Tony Parker:

That the Hornets desperately need him to return to the playoffs …

… but playing with him too much, and you have quite lost his usefulness.