The Boston Celtics are off to a blazing start this season, and a lot of the praise has to go to their new point guard.
Kemba Walker’s first 10 games with the C’s since joining the squad in free agency this summer sure have been spectacular. He’s averaging 25 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
ESPN’s Tim Legler joined “SportsCenter” with Scott Van Pelt on Thursday to talk about Walker’s impact on Boston this year.
“It just starts with communication on the court,” Legler said. “There’s a joy to this team they didn’t have last year. Guy makes it fun and it creates this kind of basketball.”
Legler said Walker is the one making it fun, which allows the players to play more like a team and believe in one another.
“Now look, Kemba can pull that, he has a right, decides not to. Instead, he’s going to make the right play, which is to drive base, and now you’re going to attract all kinds of attention. I talk about it all the time. Great players attract. Now here’s what you do though. You taught this at a very young age. When a guy drives base on one side, you better make yourself available on the opposite side. And the key is drive base, look base. So that’s the first thing he’s going to do and watch the way this thing hopes around the perimeter and the number of the guys that can take a shot. I mean that’s a wide-open look. Feel free to pull that. In today’s NBA, anybody in the league can take that shot if they want to. But instead, let’s skip one. You know what? You can pull that thing too but look how quickly we get the ball to the opposite side of the court. Marcus Smart may not be the guy necessarily that you want taking the shot. The bottom line is it promotes this feeling of collective unity on the court and Kemba really inspires that.”
To hear the rest of the discussion, watch the video below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FoL1QDuEEM%5D
The Celtics are currently 9-1 on the season, riding a nine-game win streak that’ll be on the line Friday night against the Golden State Warriors.
