Walker raring to go
C’s guard ready after resting left knee during lockdown
Kemba Walker reemerged on a Zoom conference call Wednesday the picture of trim relaxation.
The Celtics guard invited his talkative rookie teammate, Grant Williams, into his home in Charlotte during the lockdown, and didn’t feel the need for ear plugs.
“He’s not as much of a talker as people would think,” said Walker. “He likes his alone time. I like Grant. We got close. It was a good time. We had a great time.”
The opportunity to open up his home to a teammate aside, Walker’s mission over the last threeplus months was clear. His balky left knee needed rest. He missed nine of 13 games from Feb. 1 to March 4, and admittedly wasn’t at his best after returning for the three games prior to the NBA’s shutdown.
His minutes were managed, he averaged 12.6 points on 28% shooting (.208 from 3-point range), and lacked explosiveness.
“I’m definitely ready to try and expand my game to higher levels so we can just be a better team,” he said. “Especially the way I ended the season, I wasn’t really happy with the way I was playing. So I’m excited.
“It was super important for me. I really, really needed to get that break. It definitely helped me get back to myself and start to feel comfortable on my knee,” said Walker. “It was a very unfortunate time, but it was in my best interests for sure. So I’m pretty comfortable with the way the schedule is and I’m just going to keep on taking care of myself. That’s really all I can do, so I’m just going to stay on top of things and take it day by day.”
The same approach applies to the so-called “bubble” with all of its precautions, restrictions and general bizarreness.
Walker gets to play basketball again, and that will get him through Orlando’s sci-fi nature, even if the complex is in the center of one of the hottest COVID states in the country. Players will be tested daily as the league keeps a wary eye on the outside environment, and those from the outside, like workers, who tend to services.
There’s a lot for a professional basketball player to wrap his head around. The fact the NBA is functioning again will make the process easier for Walker.
“Not really, to be honest,” Walker said when asked whether he was concerned about Florida’s rise in positive COVID tests. “Just because I think we’re going to be pretty safe for the most part. We’re going to be pretty secluded from everyone. So right now, I’m fine. I have no concerns. I’m fine, pretty much.
“Just focus on basketball for the most part,” he said. “I think everyone’s situation obviously is just different. Obviously, some guys have families and kids, wives, you know? For me, I’m a single man with no kids, so I’m going to be fine. All I do is stay in the house anyways, so there’s nothing wrong with me staying in a room. So I’ll be fine, me personally. I’m actually looking forward to it just because I’m ready to play basketball. I’m ready to enjoy myself and I think it’s going to be a pretty good setup out there as well so that we can have fun out there whenever we’re not playing basketball. So yeah, I think it will be very enjoyable, honestly.”
What’s next is what he looks forward to the most — re-bonding with a team that has a solid chance of passing Toronto for the second seed once the eight-game schedule begins with a July 31 game against the toughest of all: Milwaukee.
“I’m a lot more comfortable, especially realizing the change and everything that went down during the season, the ups and downs,” Walker said of his teammates. “I’m definitely more comfortable with my teammates. We’ve been talking all quarantine, I got a chance to watch a lot of games over the quarantine, so yeah, I think I’m more comfortable. I’m ready to go.
“(Getting) a chance to see my teammates’ faces, my coaching staff, just the people around here who I haven’t seen in a little while obviously because of what we’re going through. But yeah, it feels good. Still trying to get in that game shape obviously, it’s tough when you’re not able to play. It’s just a different shape, you can do all the running you want, but basketball shape is just so different. But getting there, slowly but surely for sure.”