Kemba Walker is uniquely positioned to help Cam Newton adapt to his new surroundings.
The Boston Celtics point guard reacted excitedly Wednesday to the veteran quarterback’s reported agreement to join the New England Patriots. Prior to taking their talents to the Boston area, Walker and Newton both spent their entire professional careers as the stars of NBA and NFL teams based in Charlotte, N.C. — the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers, respectively. Walker said on a Zoom call Wednesday, via The Boston Globe’s Nicole Yang, what kind of atmosphere Newton should expect upon suiting up for a team in this region.
More Kemba: "New beginnings, obviously, and I know the fans out here, they're going to love him a lot. I'm looking forward to, you know, hopefully when the world opens back up, getting out there to a game and supporting. It's exciting news."
— Nicole Yang (@nicolecyang) July 1, 2020
After arriving in Boston last summer, Walker quickly acclimated himself to his new teammates and surrounding. His positive influence on the Celtics is among the key reasons why the team had exceeded expectations prior to the NBA pause in March.
Unlike Walker, Newton won’t face the same responsibility of re-setting the tone in his team’s locker room. However, Newton could become a pivotal to New England’s success, especially if he wins the starting QB job over Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer and other hopefuls.
Should that be the case, Newton would be wise to learn from the example Walker set in his first season in Boston.
