#MCM- Kemba Walker, PG, Charlotte Hornets
@Hoover__26 January 25
Sometimes a player comes along that is so good at a certain thing, a skill so sharp that it slices through the opponent, but has glaring weak areas that hurt his game tremendously. Back in the day, when Charlotte’s team was the Bobcats (for the record, I was very confused by the fact that the Hornets have been in three cities since 2001, and the fact that the actual Hornets franchise is now in New Orleans), Kemba was a great ball handler and passer who couldn’t shoot. He never averaged more than .33 3P% for the Cats, which made him less of a threat for defenders to leave open. It’s hard to penetrate and push the ball when your defender isn’t respecting your pull up jumper. However, shooting over 36% from downtown this season, Kemba has officially gone from one dimensional to full beast mode.
Kemba is in the top ten for his position in scoring, rebounding, steals, minutes, steal/turnover ratio and free throws, which goes to show how versatile he now is. He averages 5.7 rebounds per 48 minutes (espn.com), as well as 5 assists per game to go along with his 20+ PPG. I’m sure you are starting to see why I have a man crush on Kemba. However, if you look past his numbers (gaudy as they are) you can see that Kemba doesn’t just pass the eye test, he sets the bar for it. Kemba’s game is so flowing, so smooth, and so dynamic that any game he plays in is must-see TV. In fact, I might even go so far as to use an analogy that the great Bill Walton once used on Ray Allen (paraphrasing here)- He reminds me of a great guitarist, so smooth that one part of his game flows into the next. Sometimes, he doesn’t even look like he knows what he’s going to do next, but he always finds a way to deliver.
Think about this: Kemba is able to do all these things at a size disadvantage. It isn’t like Kemba is Russell Westbrook or John Wall sized, 6’3” or 6’4” and 200lbs. Now, Kemba is listed at 6’1” and 184lbs, but I have long doubted those numbers.
Kemba is in the top ten for his position in scoring, rebounding, steals, minutes, steal/turnover ratio and free throws, which goes to show how versatile he now is. He averages 5.7 rebounds per 48 minutes (espn.com), as well as 5 assists per game to go along with his 20+ PPG. I’m sure you are starting to see why I have a man crush on Kemba. However, if you look past his numbers (gaudy as they are) you can see that Kemba doesn’t just pass the eye test, he sets the bar for it. Kemba’s game is so flowing, so smooth, and so dynamic that any game he plays in is must-see TV. In fact, I might even go so far as to use an analogy that the great Bill Walton once used on Ray Allen (paraphrasing here)- He reminds me of a great guitarist, so smooth that one part of his game flows into the next. Sometimes, he doesn’t even look like he knows what he’s going to do next, but he always finds a way to deliver.
Think about this: Kemba is able to do all these things at a size disadvantage. It isn’t like Kemba is Russell Westbrook or John Wall sized, 6’3” or 6’4” and 200lbs. Now, Kemba is listed at 6’1” and 184lbs, but I have long doubted those numbers.
Take a look at the above image, a Charlotte (the Bobcats franchise Hornets, not the Hornets franchise one) team photo. I edited the photo so that Brian Roberts, who is listed at 6’1” as well, is standing next to Kemba. You can see that they appear to be the same height, but in reality, Roberts is standing a considerable distance behind Kemba in the original photo, making him appear shorter than he really is (Image courtesy of jlinportal.com). So, Kemba has been able to do what he is doing at a serious size disadvantage, which makes it even more amazing.
Kemba Walker is this week’s #MCM, and rightfully so. He can light up the stat sheet, and propel your fantasy team to a big win! If you have him, congratulations on a great pick. If you don’t, well, good luck getting him.
Kemba Walker is this week’s #MCM, and rightfully so. He can light up the stat sheet, and propel your fantasy team to a big win! If you have him, congratulations on a great pick. If you don’t, well, good luck getting him.