Kemba Walker Expects To Return To Celtics Before NBA All-Star Break

BOSTON — Breathe easy, Celtics fans. It appears Kemba Walker’s knee injury is nothing to worry about.

Brad Stevens said he sees the left knee soreness as a “short-term thing” ahead of Boston’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. And Walker doesn’t believe it will sideline him very long.

The 2020 NBA All-Star said he had an MRI a few weeks ago that came back clean and expects to return before the All-Star break.

“It’s okay,” Walker said at TD Garden. “I’m a little sore. I was a little sore last game, just thought it made the most sense to kind of take tonight off and just see how it goes day by day.

“I’ve played a lot of basketball from summertime to now. Just a lot of games. I mean, it’s just what happens throughout the course of an NBA season.”

Walker, of course, is referring to his time spent at the FIBA World Cup over the summer as part of Team USA.

The guard also called it a “tough decision” to not play against a team like Philly.

“It’s tough. I’m a competitor. I love to play, especially against teams like Philly who are a great team,” he said. “So it’s definitely a tough decision for me to sit this one out. But at the end of the day, I just have to look at the long haul. We’re looking to get to the playoffs and make a run, so I’ve got to look at it that way.”

With the postseason just a few months away, it will be crucial for the C’s to be at full health if they want to make a deep playoff run.