Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from Kemba Walker’s Players’ Tribune column

“I’m a winner”

Players who want to win and show they care about winning have the most success in the city of Boston.

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Somewhere during the season, Kyrie Irving stopped wanting to win for the city of Boston.  That lack of love rubbed off on his young teammates and they didn’t do the small things that made them so competitive in reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017-18.

Not to totally blame Irving, but like Kemba said earlier in his column, a leader has to lead by example.  Walker will provide that and will also wear his passion for winning on his sleeve.  The Boston Celtics saw that first hand when facing Walker.

So, to read the following words has to be encouraging:

"“I’m a winner.  I’ve always been a winner.  It’s who I am – or at least who I strive to be – anytime I step foot on the court.  And when I think about my future with this team, and how I’m now going to be playing for the Celtics…I mean, that’s why I feel like it’s a match made in heaven.”"

Overall, it’s not about raising his number in the rafters, it’s about raising a banner that represents team basketball.  The passion to win, the teamwork and the dedication on the court was lost this past season.

With the addition of one player, the Boston Celtics have gotten back to that.

No, we haven’t seen it on the court yet.  But, through the words of Kemba Walker, it’s time to believe again.