Kemba Walker Experiment Has Failed
There was a lot of excitement from the New York Knicks about the Kemba Walker signing in the offseason. The Bronx native was supposed to be the hometown hero, but it took place far too late in his career to end up making such an impact.
Walker’s production has sharply declined since his final season with the Charlotte Hornets when he averaged 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. Now, he’s been in the news cycle formally for the Knicks outright taking him out of their rotation plans.
There was a real downplaying of Walker’s injury concerns when he joined the Knicks. At his introductory press conference with the Knicks, he mentioned how his knee “feels great” and having time off has helped him to prepare for the 2021-22 season.
“I feel great,’’ Walker said at his introductory press conference, via New York Post. “My knee feels great. Honestly I haven’t been playing as much since the regular season. I feel really good. I haven’t had this much time off in a little while, in a few years, to be honest. It feels good to have this rest and time to get my knee right. I intend to come in feeling super good and continue to feel super good.’’
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Walker has been a defensive liability for years and now his impact on offense is no longer coming close to overcoming that mark. On a Knicks team that isn’t interested in giving him a role substantial enough to meet such a mark, he’s in an untenable situation and both sides need to move on.
