Does Kemba Walker deserve another shot in the rotation for the New York Knicks?
Somewhat by necessity, the New York Knicks welcomed Kemba Walker back into the starting lineup Saturday night. Even though the team as a whole didn’t get the result that they wanted, it begs the question: does Kemba deserve another shot in New York?
The answer to this question is not simple. On one hand, you might say that Kemba is too talented not to be of help for a struggling team such as the Knicks. On the other, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau might not want to disrespect Kemba by allowing him to be a spot-bench player.
And before we move any further, the deal-breaker here is if Kemba has informed Thibs it’s either a start or don’t play decision. If it has come to that, which has not been reported, then perhaps there’s no fair answer for Thibs.
However, assuming that Kemba is willing to play a smaller role off the bench if Thibs wants him to, then it’s only fair to revisit whether he deserves another shot.
For the sake of this article, we are going to remove Kemba’s most recent start. In the previous 18 games he started, before he was removed from the rotation, the Knicks had a 10-8 record. Overall, the Knicks were struggling everywhere – up to that point, the Knicks were 16th in offensive rating, 19th in defensive rating, and 19th in net rating.
And after a 5-1 hot start to the season, the Knicks were now 5-7 and playing more like an underwhelming team that was destined to fall short of pre-season expectations. Since then, it hasn’t gotten much better.
Since the decision to bench Kemba, the Knicks are 3-7. Over that stretch, the Knicks have the 15th-ranked offense, 25th-ranked defense, and 23rd-ranked net rating in the league.
Miss me where the benching of Kemba Walker was supposed to make the Knicks better. They’re not and the statistics don’t indicate that.
And, of course, there are outside variables that aren’t accounted for. For example, RJ Barrett’s shooting slump. He’s fell off during the month of November and there’s no question it negatively impacted the Knicks.
Additionally, injuries and health and safety protocol. There’s no statistical that accounts for that. And, finally, the level of opponents that the Knicks have faced in their last 10 games.
Nevertheless, at 13-17 and sitting in the 12th spot of the Eastern Conference, the Knicks must try something. They can’t continue down the status quo and just hope the team catches fire as we head into the new calendar year.
The question is whether any of those changes should involve Kemba or not. It’s only fair for the Knicks to, at the very least, think about it.