Boston Celtics: Will Boston be able to survive without Kemba Walker?
Can the Boston Celtics survive without Kemba Walker to start the season?
When the Boston Celtics signed Kemba Walker during the 2019 free agency period, they knew they had acquired what could potentially be a huge piece of the puzzle that would fit into their championship aspirations.
After moving on from players like Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving, it appeared that Walker would be a perfect fit in head coach Brad Stevens’s offense while meshing well with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
The Celtics received the bad news about Walker missing the beginning of the season and will be out for an extended period of time after receiving an injection in his knee in order to strengthen the cartilage and muscles in and around his knee.
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This could either become a gift or a curse for the Celtics and could end up making or breaking their season. The good that could transpire is that newly signed point guard Jeff Teague most likely replaces Walker in the starting lineup, runs Stevens’s offense to perfection, becomes a playmaker putting Tatum and Brown in position to score easy baskets, and has the Celtics in position to compete for playoff positioning by the time Walker returns and is ready to go.
The worst-case scenario is Teague imploding, not being able to develop chemistry with his team, and worse of all, being replaced in the starting lineup by Marcus Smart or one of the younger players like Tremont Waters, Caleb Edwards, Aaron Nesmith, or Payton Pritchard.
It was evident that Walker was having issues with his knee during the NBA playoffs last season and may have pushed himself to the limit as he was not the same player and wasn’t playing like himself. There were times when he lacked the burst, explosion, and speed while there were instances where we are used o seeing him step up where he shied away.
While Teague has earned a reputation as a solid player in the league over the years, it’s safe to say that he and Walker are two very different kinds of players. We all know that Teague is not as explosive or as quick off the dribble as Walker, but if he can adjust quickly, doesn’t hurt the team with turnovers, and plays with focus and consistency, he will earn the trust of the coaching staff and continue to earn time on the floor even once Walker returns.
However, the Celtics will miss Walker’s aggressiveness and ability to get to the foul line especially late in close games. Walker’s presence in the lineup kept their offense flowing and kept it from becoming stagnant with his ability to distribute the ball and keep his teammates involved in the game. The Celtics will also miss his ability to to be able to drive and get to the open lane while kicking the ball out and setting players up for open looks.
Walker’s absence also means that Brown and Tatum may have to handle some of the ball-handling responsibilities if Teague doesn’t play well or in the event that he has to go to the bench to rest or gets into foul trouble.
If that is the case, it could have a negative impact on their effectiveness to create off the ball as well as limiting their potential to score as opposing defenses will key on them getting rid of the ball early in the possession and trying to keep the ball out of their hands until late in the shot clock. Another potential situation that could transpire in the event of poor play from Teague is Stevens forcing the younger players to play more minutes than they are prepared to play.
The Celtics do have depth at the point guard position, but the players they have available are extremely young and lack experience. Brad Wanamaker assumed some of the backup point guard responsibilities last season, but the Celtics let him walk during free agency which is something that could come back to haunt them later.
Smart is very capable of filling in at the position, but he wears enough hats already as he will have his hands full on the defensive end and while trying to handle point guard duties at the same time could potentially wear him down as he is an important player to have in the lineup especially during crunch time.
The Celtics drafted Waters and Edwards with the hopes that they would develop into good rotational pieces but both had mediocre rookie campaigns as they struggled to earn time in Stevens’s rotation. The pair played in a total of 48 games as they combined to average 3.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, and hopefully, they will earn more minutes and become contributors if the opportunity presents itself.
The Celtics drafted two players in the first round of the draft and if either of these rookies plays well enough, they could possibly crack the rotation as well. The Celtics selected Aaron Nesmith with the 14th overall selection, a sharpshooter out of Vanderbilt who is more of a wing player than a ball-handler, but the Celtics also drafted Payton Pritchard with the 26th overall selection out of the University of Oregon and this pick made plenty of sense for general manager Danny Ainge considering the current dilemma with Walker’s knee issues and the fact that Pritchard is an experienced player who played all four years in college.
The Pac 12 Player of the Year can shoot and has great handles with good vision and can see the entire floor as a smart, reliable playmaker who can score and could leapfrog the other potential candidates for the backup point guard role. Celtics fans are going to have to temper their expectations early in the season and hopes that Walker will return healthy running on all cylinders.
Walker is a critical component to the Celtics’ success and the team has to be concerned due to this being a nagging, lingering injury he has been dealing with for quite some time now. His game is predicated on the health of his knee as his bread and butter is his shiftiness, quickness, and speed which are the elements that separate him apart from the other players at his position as an elite NBA player.
The Boston Celtics will be tested early as they face the Milwaukee Bucks and the Brooklyn Nets in their first two games as they hope Walker’s recovery will come quickly and that he returns with a vengeance and come back as the all-star caliber player we are used to seeing.