The new-look Celtics are set to kick off training camp on Tuesday, Oct. 1, marking the unofficial beginning of Kemba Walker’s first season in Boston.
With the season approaching, Brian Windhorst, Jackie MacMullan and Royce Young previewed the Eastern Conference on the latest episode of “The Hoop Collective” podcast, and specifically zeroed in on the Celtics in a very positive way. Windhorst is confident that Boston has found its perfect match in Walker.
“Kemba is going to be so popular in Boston,” Windhorst said. “He’s magnetic, his game is electric, he’s going to win them games, he’s smart, he’s low-maintenance, he stays healthy. Knock on wood, he doesn’t miss games. … Kemba is going to be a home run in Boston.”
Young, who mainly reports on the Oklahoma City Thunder for ESPN, also had great things to say about Boston, noting that Kemba could very well be an MVP candidate toward the end of the 2019-20 season.
“I’m a little bullish on the Celtics for a couple reasons,” Young said. “I actually think that come March we’re going to be floating Kemba’s name in the MVP conversation. … I think the Celtics are going to exceed expectations to a degree. People are going to be looking at him and he’s going to be averaging 24, 25 (points) a night.”
Walker averaged 25.6 points and 5.9 assists in 82 games for the Charlotte Hornets last season en route to his third consecutive All-Star selection.
The Celtics will hold their media day Monday, before beginning training camp at the Auerbach Center the following day.
