Walker fighting for spot with Spurs
In second NBA season, Reading grad Lonnie Walker IV is struggling to earn playing time with San Antonio
PHILADELPHIA >> Even in his biggest dream, Lonnie Walker IV has to endure his share of struggles.
The former Reading High star who united a city less than three years ago when he led the Red Knights to their first basketball state championship is struggling to earn playing time during his second year in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs.
Walker, a 6-5 guard, had a homecoming Friday night when the Spurs made their only visit of the season to Philadelphia to play the 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. Walker sat on the bench until the final 2 minutes and 19 seconds of the Spurs’ 115-104 loss.
“I’m just trying to earn Pop’s (coach Gregg Popovich) trust and get a taste of the game,” Walker said. “I’ve been trying to gain it since I got here. What he asks me to do it, I’ve got to do it.”
Walker has been battling to earn that trust since he was chosen in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft by the Spurs with the 18th overall pick after one season at the University of Miami.
Walker played just 17 games during his rookie season while moving back and forth between the Spurs and team’s G League developmental team in Austin.
This season, Walker has played in just nine of the Spurs’ 16 games, scoring nine points. He scored four points and played a seasonhigh 11 minutes in a loss to Portland on Nov. 16, but sat out the Spurs’ next two games prior to getting in for the home fans Friday.
Walker was fouled making a drive to the basket vs. the Sixers. He missed both subsequent free throws.
“It was good,” Walker said about playing. “I’m just trying to get into a rhythm.”
Getting into a rhythm and gaining Pop’s trust has been difficult with the limited time Walker has been on the floor. But he is learning the hard way from one of the most successful but demanding coaches in the league.
Popovich, who has led the Spurs to five NBA titles, called out Walker earlier this season by saying he played “horribly” in an Oct. 31 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
In five minutes, Walker missed his only shot, a 3-point attempt, and finished with two rebounds. Popovich told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News he was unhappy with the way Walker played overall.
“Well, I expect better effort, better awareness and a better attempt to take advantage of the minutes that he gets,” Popovich said. “I thought he was non-competitive.”
Walker reportedly took the criticism in stride.
“I need to be an energy guy, learn from all the vets like Marco Belinelli, DeMar DeRozan, L.A. (LeMarcus Aldridge),” Walker said Friday. “We’ve got a great group of vets that I can learn from on and off the court. I’m just trying to watch what they do.”
It’s a big adjustment for the self-described “kid from Reading” who just three years ago was preparing to start his final high school basketball season when he became’s the school’s all-time leading scorer. After a year at Miami, Walker was drafted and signed a contract with reportedly $8 million in guaranteed salary over three years fulfilling his dream. He won’t turn 21 until next month.
“This is all just a process to become a better person on and off the court,” Walker said. “I know my abilities. I know what I can and cannot do. I’ve just got to stay in my lane and live a happy, successful life.”
Walker, who formed the Lonnie Walker IV Foundation, has spread his good fortune to others. On Thursday he returned to Reading to donate turkeys and other Thanksgiving meal fixings to 100 needy families who live in the Reading School District.
Walker said remembering the struggles he endured as a child, sometimes not knowing where his next meal was coming from, inspired him to help others.
With Walker trying to earn playing time, the Spurs are going through an uncharacteristically tough stretch. The team with the best overall winning percentage in NBA history carried an eightgame losing streak into Madison Square Garden Saturday night to face the New York Knicks. Off to a 5-11 start, San Antonio could be headed to its first losing season in 23 years.
Walker would like to help the Spurs turn their season around.
“That’s life, that’s not frustrating,” Walker said. “Every day you’ve got to learn and grow and be the best individual you can be.”