Saturday night, the Celtics were traveling to Atlanta, and the locker room was surprised to see Kemba Walker ! Cut by the Mavericks after only nine games, and while his name had been mentioned in Europe, the former Boston point guard did not find a contract for the end of the season. He chose to return to Charlotte to prepare for the rest of his career, and to focus on his physique, his big weak point for several seasons.
“There’s really no rush for me. To be honest, I’m really trying to enjoy this time,” he admits to The Athletic. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much time to work on myself, on my physique. So I’m not bothering myself at all. Frankly, I prefer to take a step back and try to be ready for the next time. We’ll see how it goes then. »
“I was there when JT had his first 60-point game, and I was there when Luka had his first 60-point game”
The most important thing is that he fixes his knees for good. If it’s still possible…
In Dallas, management knew he wasn’t 100% but they gave him a chance. Then, Mark Cuban had other plans, and he hit hard by bringing in Kyrie Irving when he asked for his transfer. In the end, from his stay in his hometown, Kemba Walker retains above all his discovery of the Luka Doncic phenomenon.
“I was happy to have the opportunity to go there, to be in Dallas, to have the chance to play with Luka and observe him closely. After playing with (Jayson Tatum), I played with two of the best young players around. So it was a pretty cool experience” he continues. “It was deadly with Luka! I’m at a new stage in my career, and I have less control of the ball. So it was nice to appreciate his work, to see certain things up close and personally, it was crazy. I was there when JT had his first 60-point game, and I was there when Luka had his first 60-point game. So it was a pretty cool experience. »
About Jayson Tatum, he is very proud of the trajectory of his former teammates.
“It’s amazing just to see them play for the past two years. I’m still in touch with those guys, and they knew I was coming. I just like to see them play. They are my brothers, real brothers, for real. I have a lot of affection for these guys. »
| Kemba Walker | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2011-12 | CHA | 66 | 27 | 36.6 | 30.5 | 78.9 | 0.5 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 12.1 |
| 2012-13 | CHA | 82 | 35 | 42.3 | 32.2 | 79.8 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 17.7 |
| 2013-14 | CHA | 73 | 36 | 39.3 | 33.3 | 83.7 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 6.1 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 17.7 |
| 2014-15 | CHA | 62 | 34 | 38.5 | 30.4 | 82.7 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 17.3 |
| 2015-16 | CHA | 81 | 36 | 42.7 | 37.1 | 84.7 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 20.9 |
| 2016-17 | CHA | 79 | 35 | 44.3 | 39.9 | 84.7 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 23.2 |
| 2017-18 | CHA | 80 | 34 | 43.1 | 38.4 | 86.4 | 0.4 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 5.6 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 22.1 |
| 2018-19 | CHA | 82 | 35 | 43.4 | 35.6 | 84.4 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 5.9 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 25.6 |
| 2019-20 | BOS | 56 | 31 | 42.5 | 38.1 | 86.4 | 0.6 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 20.5 |
| 2020-21 | BOS | 43 | 32 | 42.0 | 36.0 | 89.9 | 0.4 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 19.3 |
| 2021-22 | NYK | 37 | 26 | 40.3 | 36.7 | 84.5 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 11.7 |
| 2022-23 | DAL | 9 | 16 | 42.1 | 25.0 | 81.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 8.0 |
| Total | 750 | 33 | 41.8 | 36.0 | 84.0 | 0.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 19.3 | |
