Getty Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Since the Boston Celtics traded Kemba Walker during the off-season, things haven’t gone well for the former All-Star.
Sure, everything started off rosy for the former UConn standout, getting brought out of his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder and subsequently signing with the New York Knicks looked like a dream scenario for Walker.
But it didn’t take long for cracks to form. Walker’s biggest issue right now is his inability to stay healthy, which in turn hinders him from reaching his once lofty heights. As a result, Walker is now an inefficient guard who requires high usage to be effective, all while being a turnstile on the defensive end.
ESPN Sources: The New York Knicks and guard Kemba Walker have agreed that the four-time All-Star will be sidelined for the remainder of the team’s season. Story:
And now, with the NBA on its final stretch of the regular season, both the Knicks and Walker have agreed to “shut it down” for the remainder of the year. “We fully support Kemba’s decision to shut it down for the remainder of the season and use this time to prepare for next season. His long-term success on the court remains our priority,” Knicks President of Basketball Operations Leon Rose said in a recent press release.
Walker Was Shutdown Earlier This Season Too
This isn’t the first time that Walker has found himself being shut down. During mid-November, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau announced that Walker would be out of the Knicks rotation for the foreseeable future.
However, the Knicks ended up in somewhat of a roster crisis as a new wave of COVID swept through the league, paving the way for Walker to return to the Knicks rotation. With the former All-Star back in the Knicks lineup, New York found themselves staying afloat despite their roster crunch, and when the team finally returned to health, Walker had earned a spot in the team’s rotation moving forward.
Knicks record this season:
16-21 (.432) with Kemba Walker
9-13 (.409) without Kemba Walker
However, as Jonathan Macri points out in his Knicks Film School newsletter, the Knicks have been worse off with Walker in their rotation than when he’s not involved at all. “The writing has been on the wall for a while now. In over 1900 minutes without Walker on the court, this season – more than two-thirds of the total minutes New York has played – the team has outscored opponents by 1.9 points per 100 possessions. That is equal to the 12th best net rating in the league. When he’s played, they’ve been outscored by 9.1 points per 100 – a tick better than the 29th ranked Rockets,” Macri wrote.
The Knicks have multiple young guards who are deserving of minutes and will face a slight roster crunch once Derrick Rose returns from his latest injury. As such, Walker agreeing to sit out the remainder of the season makes sense for both the player and the team, but will likely mean that the Bronx native has played his last game for his hometown team.
Walker’s Knee Issues Ended his Career in Boston
When the Celtics acquired Kemba Walker to ease the pain of losing Kyrie Irving, there was palpable excitement among fans. The former Charlotte Hornets star guard was known as an “ironman” who seldom missed playing time, and always came up big in the clutch.
Unfortunately, Walker developed knee issues during the latter part of his first season in Boston. As time went on, those same knee issues began to limit Walker’s ability to play in back-to-back games while they also cost him some of his elite burst and ability to generate power on his shots.
Per the Celtics, Kemba Walker received a stem cell injection in his left knee, and was put on a 12-week strengthening program to prepare for the upcoming season
The result was a much slower Walker who struggled to navigate screens as quickly, and also a more inefficient scorer, both from deep and when getting to the rim. Small, speedy guards like Walker rely on their ability to beat their defender off the dribble, and once they lose that first step, they often become far less viable as a primary scoring option.
Since leaving Boston and joining the Knicks, Walker has averaged a career-low of 11.6 points, 3.5 assists, and three rebounds per game, along with his lowest minutes average since entering the league at 25.6. At just 31-years-old, Walker will likely find himself another home in the NBA, and hopefully, he can resurrect the final years of his career.