‘I’ll be back better than ever, I think’
Walker says taking it slow in return is a smart move
Kemba Walker says this is the smart way, to take it slow now and build up strength in his balky left knee.
But after missing only six games over his last four seasons in Charlotte, where he carried far too much of the load, the Celtics guard may be paying for that wear and tear now. So he understands the need to take it slow during the early stages of the NBA restart.
The annoying reminder was a pain in the side of his knee once the Celtics resumed practice.
“I can’t really explain it, but it was a pain on the side of my knee that was bothering me,” he said after taking part in last night’s light team practice.
Walker is currently practicing every other day. The goal is to get him ready for the playoffs, certainly more than the Celtics’ eightgame seeding schedule. The iron-man nature of his time in Charlotte considered, of course the point guard is frustrated.
“Throughout my career, I haven’t missed many games, and I’ve been able to play through a lot,” said Walker. “It was bothering me, so that was the best choice for me to make, was to sit out. Like I said, this is not normal for me, being out like this, but the smart way to go about things because I want to be at my best for my teammates and this organization when the regular season comes around and most definitely in the playoffs.
“I’m not really concerned much, honestly, because I’m trending upwards and I’m getting better and I’m getting closer to a return,” he said. “So, yeah, I’m fine. And I’ll be back better than ever, I think.
“The plan is not to (have limitations), but I’m feeling good. I’m really just taking it one day at a time right now, just being smart, being cautious for the most part. I’m feeling really good so we’re just taking it slowly.”
Bubble life
In a sign that the Orlando bubble can change even the most unflappable people, Brad Stevens checked in for last night’s media teleconference sporting some noticeable stubble.
The Celtics coach admits that certain aspects of this experience, like last night’s late practice time — which will be pushed even later tonight — require flexibility.
“We understand there’s nothing perfect with 22 teams and you’re sharing 27 practice sites or whatever it is,” said Stevens. “You have to clean each site for an hour after a team leaves. There’s a lot of factors in play. If somebody had a 10 a.m. or noon slot each day that would be an advantage. We’re all all over the place and that’s part of it. We all expected that.
“The hardest part of the turnaround was the very first day when we were in quarantine til 3:00 and practiced the very next day,” he said. “Other than that, we’ve had plenty of rest between practices and have been able to take advantage of that. So it’s not bad to be late. That’s part of it. Gets you ready for game times, too. Scrimmage and seeding games are all over the map.”
Missing pick-and-rolls
Walker, one of the best at creating his offense out of pick-and-roll situations, can’t wait to start working with his fellow Celtics wings again. They happen to draw the best out of him in those situations.
“Over the last couple years, I’ve been tops in the pick-and-roll, but I think here things are a lot more efficient,” he said. “Having those guys on the perimeter around me who are really efficient as well. They also create a lot of opportunities for me as far as spacing, so yeah. Brad definitely puts me in great positions to be successful with the basketball. He knows pick-and-roll is one of my things, so yeah. Definitely.”