The Boston Celtics continued their preseason play on Friday with a second meeting against the Charlotte Hornets and ex-point guard Kemba Walker made an appearance, sitting courtside during the action.
Walker, who spent two seasons with the Celtics (2019-2021) after initially agreeing to a four-year max contract worth $141 million, has undergone a struggling offseason of his own — seeking a buyout with the Detroit Pistons along with a new roster spot after an abundance of injuries following his stellar Hornets tenure to begin his career. The Celtics, like Walker, have also had their fair share of offseason blows with the Ime Udoka scandal and injuries to veterans Robert Williams III and Danilo Gallinari.
However, the 32-year-old guard had nothing but kind words when speaking the Celtics, and more specifically regarding interim head coach Joe Mazzulla.
“He’s hard-nosed, tells it like it is, has great character, holds everyone accountable equally,” Walker told Abby Chin during NBC Sports Boston’s live broadcast. “He’s just not scared. I know everyone’s talking trash about him cause they didn’t know who he was. But they got a great coach and a special person.”
Walker, who spent his collegiate career at UConn, faced off against Mazzulla, who played guard at West Virginia.
The Celtics defeated the Hornets for the second time this preseason, 112-103, and have one final preseason matchup upcoming against the Toronto Raptors next Friday before opening the season at TD Garden versus the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 18.
