The Boston Celtics aren’t ready to sound the alarm on Kemba Walker’s left knee injury.
Walker has missed all four of the Celtics’ games since the NBA All-Star break, including Wednesday night’s 114-103 win over the Jazz in Utah, and seven of Boston’s last 11 contests overall. Yet the team continues to downplay the ailment, with president of basketball operations Danny Ainge explaining Thursday morning on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Richer” that Walker and the C’s simply are handling the situation with utmost care.
“We’re just taking it day by day, and we’re being very cautious with Kemba,” Ainge said. “We feel like we need Kemba to be his best self, and right now, we don’t think that he can sustain what he wants to do. But we are confident that his knee is going to be fine and that he’ll be ready to go at some point in the near future.”
Walker, 29, missed three games between Feb. 1 and Feb. 5. The talented point guard returned for Boston’s final four outing before the All-Star Game, then headed to the midseason showcase, where only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ben Simmons logged more time on the court.
With the benefit of hindsight, it’s fair to wonder whether Walker should have played at all in the All-Star Game, let alone down the stretch, as the game became increasingly competitive. But Ainge isn’t putting too much stock into that narrative despite the lingering uncertainty surrounding Walker’s status.
“I think the All-Star Game is a little bit of an overblown situation,” Ainge said. “I mean, if he plays 20 minutes or he plays 29, I’m not sure it really makes that much of a difference, especially since it’s one game over a six- or seven-day period. So I don’t really have any regrets about that. I think that this has been an issue that has been lingering a little bit from before the All-Star Game and I think that nobody really knew to what extent, and we’re just being really cautious with him right now.”
Walker is averaging 21.8 points, 5.0 assists and 4.1 rebounds through 46 games in his first season with the Celtics. Boston entered Thursday in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 41-17 record.
