Is Kemba Walker An Elite Player? Or Are The Charlotte Hornets Just Bad?
Image: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
The Charlotte Hornets know Kemba Walker isn’t coming back next season. The All-Star PG hasn’t had the best of years with the franchise. He’s never led the team past the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. When it comes to playoffs, his team has never made it past the first round. A lot of that falls on Walker.
Kemba Walker is such an underappreciated player in the NBA. Although, He’s not on the same level as Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, or Kyrie Irving. You can make a case Walker slides into the Mike Conley, John Wall, DeAngelo Russell category of second-tier point guards. He’s too good for the Hornets, but, is he going to lead a prominent franchise to the Finals?
This might come as a shock to some, but Kemba only has a PER of 21.4. This ranks him 32nd in the NBA. He’s the star on a team that doesn’t really feature another star player. That’s a red flag. For a supposed superstar and All-Star he doesn’t rank as one. The talent in Charlotte isn’t the best in the league. This leads to more questions than answers. Is he really that good?
A player that shoots the ball 20 times a game, to only have a 32nd ranked PER, there’s a bit of concern with that. Kemba is so gifted at passing the ball. However, he only averages 5.6 assists. His assist percentage is 38th among starters. Not good for a supposed star PG.
When you’re as gifted as Kemba Walker is, averaging 5.6 assists with the 38th best assist percentage isn’t ideal. You can make a case that his teammates don’t make shots. That’s just a small issue. Walker must create more opportunity for his teammates. He’ll never be an elite PG if he doesn’t.
After his time at UConn, Walker was believed to have the potential to be one of the NBA’s biggest star. He’s not reached that level. The Hornets franchise has done him no favors. There’s no purpose for Kemba Walker to be in Charlotte. The organization can do all they want to keep him, he’s going elsewhere.
Does Kemba Walker succeed on a new team? Will he be able to right some of the issues plaguing him? That all remains to be seen. Walker is a talented player, there’s no doubt about it. The Hornets wouldn’t be anywhere near a playoff team without him. The question is, “Can he become an elite PG and lead a team to their Conference Finals or even the NBA Finals?” That’s not a sure thing.
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
