The Charlotte Hornets made just two NBA playoff appearances in Kemba Walker's eight seasons with the franchise, but he probably won't have to worry about not playing in April, May and maybe even June as a member of the Boston Celtics.
Walker left the Hornets over the summer by signing a four-year, $141 million max contract with the C's in free agency, and the start to his Boston tenure is going quite well. So well, in fact, Walker is experiencing a level of winning not seen in his Charlotte career.
That's a pretty crazy stat, and the one below is equally wild:
Walker was a rookie when the Bobcats finished last in 2011-12 with a 7-59 record. Now in his ninth pro season, the 29-year-old point guard is in first place at this stage of a season for the first time in his career.
Much of the Celtics' early success can be attributed to Walker, who shook off a bit of a slow start to lead the team in scoring with 25 points per game. He scored 24 second-half points (29 overall) in a win over a much-improved Dallas Mavericks team Monday night at TD Garden.
Boston Celtics
Walker was a winner at UConn, and even in Charlotte he ranked among the top clutch players in the league, so we shouldn't be surprised at his recent crunch-time heroics with the Celtics.
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