Getty Images Celtics Kemba Walker is gearing up for another NBA postseason
Don’t look now, but the Boston Celtics’ newfound scoring tandem in point guard Kemba Walker and shooting guard Evan Fournier is clicking better than anyone anticipated, and now have the numbers to back it up.
The latest Celtics news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Celtics newsletter here!
Granted, it isn’t a large sample size. Walker and Fournier; while hot off of their 132-92 slaughter on the Orlando Magic — where they combined for an astounding 50 points on 19-of-32 attempts, including 8-of-16 threes — are producing staggering scoring numbers that are and in some ways alarming.
Report: Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier Outscore Celtics’ Opponents By 23+ Points
According to Boston.com’s Tom Westerholm, per Cleaning The Glass, the Celtics’ Walker and Fournier duo have played 146 possessions together. Of those 146 possessions, Boston has outscored opponents by 23.5 points per 100 possessions.
If you’re Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, this is a strong indication of how explosive Boston’s offense can be when Kemba and Evan are on the floor at the same time. In what’s turned into a somewhat evenly-matched Eastern Conference (of late) there aren’t many offenses with a duo — outside of the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks — that can compute similar production.
Brad Stevens Believes In Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier
Barring any further setbacks, Brad is hopeful for consistency. After seeing the Celtics’ high-powered offense at full-throttle despite playing without its All-Star wing in Jaylen Brown, Wednesday night, Stevens is eager to see Fourier and Walker take things to the next level.
“He and Kemba really like playing with each other,” Stevens said after the Celtics’ win against the Magic. “I think that has a chance to have good chemistry, we just haven’t seen that much yet. I think that they’ve just played against each other for so long that they’re both intrigued by that, as well.”
Boston, currently sixth in the Eastern Conference standings, is technically outside the league’s Play-In Tournament but that could drastically change within the next few days. The Miami Heat, currently tied with the Celtics, is heading to Boston this weekend for two games in three days; starting Sunday for a Mother’s Day matinee matchup and ending Tuesday night.
Celtics’ Kemba Walker Keeping His Eyes On The Prize
Walker, who weighed in on playoff positioning during Wednesday’s postgame media availability, was asked if his eyes have been glued to the Eastern Conference standings.
“Not really,” Walker replied. “At this point, we just have to take it game by game and just try to win; that’s all you can do. The only way you move up or down is wins and losses. So, we just focus on the games, really.”
Now, with the NBA regular season’s finish line in sight, Brad understands that every step in the right direction is vastly significant for the Celtics.
“(With) six games to go in the regular season, we are who we are,” Stevens said. “We played hard tonight, played well tonight, played together tonight — those are all good things.”
READ NEXT: