Kemba Walker appears to have been fortunate enough to have avoided a very serious injury after a scary collision resulted in the All-Star point guard being stretchered off the court Friday night vs. the Denver Nuggets.
Walker was released from the hospital and flew back to Boston with the team Saturday and will undergo further evaluation upon returning home. As much as the Celtics are thankful that Walker seems to have dodged a bullet, they now need to look ahead and plan for the short term without their point guard.
The 29-year-old was diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms, so it’s likely his timeline will be evaluated in terms of days or weeks, but regardless of the ideally-short outlook, Boston still will need to make adjustments in its backcourt. Walker is averaging 32.3 minutes per game, third on the team behind only Jayson Tatum (34.2) and Jaylen Brown (33.3).
So who will the Celtics look toward during Walker’s absence?
Brad Wanamaker
There’s never a good time for an injury, especially one as serious and scary as Walker’s. But Boston is fortunate that Wanamaker currently is playing the best basketball of his NBA career.
The 30-year-old has played at least 15 minutes in 11 consecutive games, with six of those coming in at 20-plus minutes. He’s made great use of those minutes as well, shooting over 50 percent in eight of Boston’s last nine games, while posting double-figures with at least four assists in three straight contests entering Monday’s matchup with the Sacramento Kings.
So yes, Wanamaker has seen a bump in his minutes during the month of November, but the Celtics will look for him to continue providing quality results as a reliable primary ball-handler and scorer moving forward. It’s been a nice bonus of late — now it’ll be a necessity.
Tremont Waters
Waters has helped lead the Celtics’ G League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, to a franchise-best 4-0 start, but he likely will find his way back to Boston for parts of Walker’s absence.
The second-round pick leads Maine in both scoring and assists entering their contest with the Westchester Knicks on Saturday, averaging 19.3 points, 7.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds on 45.6 percent shooting.
He’s proven to be a reliable guard who can score off the dribble and effectively orchestrate half-court sets with ease. His basketball IQ stands out above the rest, however, as Waters simply makes smart basketball plays on both sides.
It’s important to remember Waters is on a two-way deal, meaning he can spend no more than 45 days with the Celtics this season. NBA teams tend to pick and choose their service days for two-way players very wisely, and Boston has been no different over the first two years since the rule’s implementation. But if there’s ever a time to use up some of the point guard’s count, this would be it.
Whether Brad Stevens would consider giving Waters rotation minutes, even minimally, remains to be seen.
Marcus Smart
Smart has been in the starting lineup since Gordon Hayward went down with a fractured metacarpal in his left hand, so that won’t change anytime soon. Now he’ll serve as Boston’s primary ball-handler alongside Wanamaker.
The Celtics will practice Sunday, which likely will come with an update on Walker’s current status.
