Kemba Walker is a big piece of what Charlotte does, and I broke down and reviewed his season for QCH. Check out the original article in its entirety here.
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After a
solid 2012-13 campaign in which he improved in almost every area, many were
looking for Kemba Walker to take the next step this season.
While
Walker’s game didn’t regress after his successful sophomore season, it didn’t
appear to make significant strides either. Overall, his play appeared to
plateau, and his statistics stagnated.
The team
found some success, making their first ever playoff appearance, and new
addition Al Jefferson seemed to gel with Walker; a relationship that can be
built upon. Overall however, Walker didn’t demonstrate the development that he
did between seasons one and two. He continued to show that he belongs in the
league, but he didn’t separate himself to provide a definite answer to the
lingering question of if he is a long-term starting solution at Charlotte’s
point guard position.
Strengths: Walker continues to possess one
of the tightest handles in the league, as well as having one of the game’s most
killer crossovers. Coupled with blazing speed, Walker can get just about
anywhere he wants on the court in a matter of seconds. Very few defenders can
stay in front of him, and when he chooses to, he can use this ability to get
into the paint and breakdown the defense. It also makes for some great highlights.
Another
solid aspect of the season for Walker was his continued improvement as a
passer. Walker has improved upon his assists numbers each of his first three
seasons in the league, and he averaged a career high 6.1 assists per game (up
from 5.7 last season). While that number will need to continue to increase if
Walker is going to become one of the league’s elite, it was good enough for 14th
overall in the NBA last season.
Going
hand-in-hand with his improved passing is the fact that he continues to take
relatively good care of the ball. Walker averaged only 2.3 turnovers per game;
his lowest mark as a pro. Considering how often he has the ball in his hand (he
is 29th in the NBA in usage rate), that is pretty impressive. As
a result, he was 34th in the League in assist-to-turnover ratio; a number
that could be improved upon, but is a solid sign.
Weaknesses: Defense has never been Kemba’s
calling card, and at times he struggled this season. Although he has made
improvements in the area, Walker remains undersized, and sometimes has
difficulty matching up physically with some of the league’s bigger guards. In
the past he has been able to make up for some of this by using his speed and
anticipation to get into the passing lanes and secure steals, but he feel to 51st
in the league in total steals after being in the top ten last season.
One of
the more glaring flaws in Walker’s game continues to be his shot selection. He
loves the mid-range jump shot, and after take some strides last season to
improve his shot selection, he regressed this season. His field goal percentage
fell from a solid 42% last season to a chilly 39% this season. A lot of that
has to do with his shot selection. Last year, Walker took almost 38% of his
shots in eight feet or closer to the basket, and converted those shots at almost
a 50% clip. This season, Walker took only 28% of his shots from eight feet and
in, and his efficiency fell. The rest of those attempts were allocated to
midrange jumpers, which were converted at a much lower percentage.


Reasons for optimism: At only 23 years old, Walker is
far from a finished product, and still sits several years away from his prime.
If he can continue to improve areas of his game, most noticeably his defense,
shot selection, and efficiency, he could be a very productive point for a long
time. He remains one of the league’s fastest players, and that gives him
advantages on both sides of the ball.
Walker’s
chemistry with big Al Jefferson this season was promising, as the two formed a
pretty potent inside-outside duo. Their play together was a main factor in the
Bobcats making their first ever playoff appearance, and something that can be
built on in the future with those two forming the foundation.
Walker
continues to show maturity and poise on the court, and has developed into a
great young leader for Charlotte. Both Michael Jordan and Al Jefferson have
credited Walker with great growth and leadership, as this season he really
embraced the role of leader. He is an on-court general, and someone that the
rest of the team rallies around. These are great characterizes for a young
point guard, and will be important for Walker as he continues to develop.
Most
promising, may have been Walker’s clutch play. Time and again Walker hit a big
shot down the stretch to keep the ‘Cats in a contest, and it’s a real plus to
have a player that is unafraid of the big moment on your team. Walker was 19th
in the entire NBA in crunch-time production, and he demonstrated the ability to
be a legitimate go-to guy.
Reasons for pessimism: While Walker had a solid
season, he didn’t improve to the extent that you might like to see out of a
third year point guard. The assist numbers were up, but still need to be
improved upon. The regression in shot distribution is extremely alarming,
especially after the improvement he showed in that area last year. You want
your point guard to penetrate the paint and attack, not settle for shots.
After
shooting over 40% from the field last season, he dipped back into the
30%-range, making you wonder if that is as good as it will get with Walker. Mid-range
and long two’s are among the least effective shots in the league, and Walker
continues to take too many of them. After three seasons, his shot selection and
distribution remains a main concern.
Insignificant,
but worth nothing: Walker’s ironman steak went out the window this season as
well. Walker had never missed a game in his professional career prior to this
season, when he was side-lined for nine games. Missing nine games in an 82-game
season isn’t an issue, but you hope it isn’t an indicator of future durability
problems, especially considering his size.
Walker
had a solid season, and played a major part in the Bobcats’ making their first
ever playoff appearance. While he didn’t desecrate all doubt about his game, he
took some solid steps, like improving his assist numbers. Walker will have
another opportunity to move toward all-star-status next season.
Season grade: B
- Stats for this article were compiled from
82games.com
The Bobcats first playoff appearance. Really?
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