Chowder and Champions
Fansided

Boston Celtics: 3 players who must fill Jaylen Brown’s All-Star shoes

By Owen Crisafulli

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 25: Aaron Nesmith #26 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on April 25, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - APRIL 25: Aaron Nesmith #26 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on April 25, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Boston Celtics veteran point guard Kemba Walker

If there was ever a time for Kemba Walker to wake up from his season long slump, now is the time. This has easily been Walker’s worst season since his early days in Charlotte, and it’s fair to say it’s been a large reason for Boston’s struggles. Walker just hasn’t been the same player this season, and it’s cost the Celtics mightily.

Ever since he suffered a knee injury last season, Walker has looked like a different player. He has lost some of his bounce that made his drives to the basket so effective, as he often just gets swarmed at the hoop by the opposing defenders nowadays. His three point shooting has also regressed, as he’s hitting 36 percent of his threes compared to 38 percent last season.

It’s been tough to watch Kemba for large parts of the season. Scoring was his strong suit, and he’s struggled for most of the season to consistently find the bottom of the bucket. Just as he seems to be finding his way, dropping a 30 point game, he will turn around and do next to nothing the game after.

Take Sunday’s game against the Miami Heat for example. Walker was coming off back-to-back 30+ point games, and seemed to finally be finding his stride. But he then failed to impose himself against the Heat at all, and ended up playing second fiddle to Evan Fournier and Jayson Tatum. With more shots available, it’s time for Kemba to get more involved on a nightly basis, and then follow that up by hitting his shots.

Next. Celtics season over with Jaylen Brown out. dark

Making matters worse, Kemba is just not a good defender, which means when he isn’t hitting his shots on offense, he’s basically contributing nothing to the team. In same game against Miami, they made it a goal of theirs to seek out Walker on each offensive possession they had, and would attack him over and over again.

Miami continually forced him to switch onto Bam Adebayo, which typically ended up in points for the Heat.

It’s undeniably clear that if this team has any shot of getting out of the play-in tournament, let alone make the playoffs, Kemba Walker needs to be better. He will have more opportunities to score now that Brown is out, meaning he can work his way into the game in a way that he hasn’t had the opportunity to do for most of the season.

If the old Kemba Walker shows up, Boston still has a chance to do some damage in the postseason. Otherwise, get ready for a long offseason.

Home/Boston Celtics