Celtics knock off Clippers: Kemba Walker on fire & other key takeaways

1. Celtics key takeaways: Kemba Walker looking like Kemba Walker

It looks like it just took some time and patience, but Celtics veteran guard Kemba Walker is heating things up both with his shooting and his leadership.

More from Boston Celtics

• 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
• Blake Griffin Angling Hard to Re-Sign With Celtics
• Game-by-Game Predictions for the Celtics’ 2023-24 In-Season Tournament Schedule
• Kristaps Porzingis’ Foot Injury is a Problem Despite Celtics’ Optimism
• Marcus Smart, Grant Williams and Ime Udoka all Returning to Boston on 2023-24 Schedule

In leading the C’s to their Tuesday night victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, Kemba when 8-of-19 from the field, 6-of-12 from beyond the stripe in tallying a team-high 25 points.

Most impressively, it was another night where the veteran guard got his teammates involved dissing out six assists.  But it is his overall positive vibe that has things looking good once again in Boston.

Over the last nine games, he is averaging 22.7 ppg and 4.7 assists per game, an indication that Mr. Kemba Walker is finding that rhythm that makes him such a dangerous scorer during stretches of the game.

But let’s go back to the playmaking ability.  The Boston Celtics can get plenty of scoring from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.  What they need from Kemba is exactly what he has been doing to get back in the flow of the game.  They need him to be a facilitator who picks his spots to be that veteran leader the signed to a Max deal.

While Tatum and Brown have been the All-Stars leading the team throughout the first half of the season, it is Walker’s confidence, energy and clutch factor that has been the main reason the team is on a current three-game winning streak and looking they are easing back into their groove.