Bronx-born Kemba Walker comes home to the Knicks

For Kemba Walker, landing in New York with the Knicks was a dream realized. So when he stepped onto the court at Madison Square Garden for the Knicks’ preseason opener on Oct. 5 wearing the familiar blue, orange and white of the team he rooted for growing up, the Bronx-born and -raised point guard felt all was right with the world. Now, he just has to produce. The four-time NBA All-Star certainly possesses the skills. A team-first player, Walker knows how to read the game, hit the open man and sink the crucial shot. And he provides veteran leadership. But the shelf life of 31-year-old point guards can be perilously short and the 11th year veteran most definitely has a few miles on his odometer. He signed with the Knicks this offseason after being waived by Oklahoma City following a trade from Boston, his team the past two seasons. He suffered through an injury-riddled 2020-21 season that limited him to only 43 games. He also has an arthritic left knee that scared a lot of teams off. Still, his per-game numbers last season – 19.3 points, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals – were solid. This season, he’ll alternate with returning vet (and former MVP) Derrick Rose to run the offense for the Knicks, pairing with fellow offseason acquisition Evan Fournier to form a dynamic new-look backcourt. Given New York’s offensive flameout in its five-game loss to Atlanta in last season’s Conference Quarterfinals, the new configuration figures to be a welcome change. Walker and the Knicks can be seen in action Tuesday, Oct. 26, at home against the Atlantic Division rival Philadelphia 76ers in a game airing on TNT.