Kemba Walker is set to give the Boston Celtics a shot in the arm
When healthy, there’s no question that Kemba Walker is an asset for a team such as the Boston Celtics. With elite wing play, with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Kemba is the type of point guard that just fills a huge void in the backcourt.
The great part about Kemba’s fit with Boston is that he doesn’t have to be generational or all that great; he just has to play his part on the team’s offense and be “good enough” on the defensive end where he’s viewed as respectable.
When he’s not healthy, that task is too often too tall for him to meet (no pun intended). As it is, Kemba is an undersized defender on most nights. When he’s not 100 percent, or somewhere close to that, he’s set up to fail, even with Boston’s great wing defenders helping.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
After missing the start of the season due to rehab, it’s been announced that Kemba has been cleared to practice with the team and that his season-debut could come sooner rather than later. Kemba has reportedly been pain-free for over a month and is inching closer and closer to a return.
It’s tough to say when that return will actually happen, but there’s no question that Boston will take the patient approach, likely allowing Kemba to get a few practices under his belt before the conversation of him returning to the lineup even takes place.
On the court, Kemba will certainly help the Celtics. Despite his absence in the lineup, Boston has been mighty impressive through the 10 games of the season. The Celtics are 7-3, one game (in the loss column) behind the top team in the East, and have one of the league’s best offenses in the game.
In Kemba’s absence, there might not be a player that has stepped up in a bigger way than Jaylen Brown, who is averaging 26 points, six rebounds, and four assists per game on 54 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent shooting from 3-point range to start the season. He’s on pace for career highs in each statistical category and has helped carry the load from the loss of production without Kemba in the lineup.
Kemba’s return will not only help take the pressure of Boston’s dynamic duo of Brown and Tatum, but it will help this team become even deeper – an aspect of the Celtics that has always made them such a dangerous Eastern Conference threat.