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Things got ugly for the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, who dropped a game to the lowly Detroit Pistons 131-125 in overtime. The game epitomized everything wrong with Dallas’ season so far: Luka Doncic, Christian Wood, and Tim Hardaway, Jr. accounted for 86 of Dallas’ 125 points. Doncic alone recorded nearly half of the team’s assists (10).
It’s because of that last category that the Mavs went out and signed veteran free agent Kemba Walker. On his best day, Walker is an All-Star playmaker who can also splash from deep. Unfortunately, that “best day” hasn’t been calendared since 2017. Since then, Walker has suffered through serious injuries, including on his knees.
And according to Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, Walker’s knees still aren’t 100%.
“It’s not good,” Harrison admitted to Dallas sports radio station The Ticket. “It’s not good at all. But he’s rehabbed it and it’s the best he’s felt in the last two years so, we’ll see how long that lasts.”
Harrison went on to defend the move nontheless.
Harrison Clarifies Stance on Walker’s Injury
Harrison went on to explain that, though Walker’s knee isn’t “good,” it doesn’t mean the former All-Star can’t make valuable contributions to the team. In fact, Hrrison pointed to Walker’s past performance as proof of the veteran’s capabilities.
“Well, it hasn’t been good for a few years,” Harrison clarified. “Even last year, he had 30 point games on it. But it actually feels better now. The reality is, if you look at it, it’s not good, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play on it.”
The last time Walker notched at least 30 points was May 2021, a full 19 months ago. At the time, Walker was still with the Boston Celtics. Since then, Walker’s bounced around to the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons, the latter of which refused to play him.
Whether Walker can be a meaningful contributor despite bad knees remains to be seen. However, if the past is any indication, Walker’s best days are likely in the past. Derrick Rose, Allen Iverson, and Brandon Roy all had promising careers and futures that were cut short by injury. When the cliff hit for each of those players, it was fast, unrelenting, and unglamorous.
Lowe Calls Walker Signing a ‘Hail Mary’ for Mavericks
At this point, it’s plain to see that the Mavericks need playmaking, especially now that Jalen Brunson is a Knick. Unfortunately, Dallas doesn’t have much in the way of valuable trade assets, which ESPN NBA writer Zach Lowe pointed out on December 2.
“The Mavs are at a playmaking deficit after botching the Brunson situation. They can trade two future first-round picks, but their ammunition beyond that is wanting. The clock is ticking on upgrading the roster around Doncic. Some lineup tweaks might relieve the congestion, but small doses of Josh Green (playing great!), Christian Wood, and Tim Hardaway Jr. don’t add much in the way of advanced (or even average) NBA ball handling. Everyone is rooting for Kemba Walker, but that signing is a Hail Mary.”
The Mavericks have a chance to right the ship in the Brunson-Dallas rematch on Saturday.
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