When we think about Kemba Walker, we think about the Charlotte Bobcats. When we think about the Bobcats, we think about historically bad performances and inept management. It’s too bad really, because Walker has been doing some tremendous things with nary an All-Star to support him. Is it possible that Walker is actually a top-five point guard in the NBA’s Eastern Conference?
First, let’s take a look at the Eastern Conference point guards that Walker stacks up against.
He’ll have to go up against John Wall, Kyrie Irving, Brandon Jennings, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo. Going off of names alone, Walker doesn’t look like he belongs. He’s also got that stigma of playing for Charlotte. He won’t get a whole lot of attention nationally playing where he does now, so let’s break it down a bit.
Take a look at this chart (left Rose off because he missed the 2012-13 season, but safely assume he’s above Walker):
| Player | Season | Age | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyrie Irving | 2012-13 | 20 | 59 | 2048 | .452 | .391 | .855 | 3.8 | 6.2 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 23.3 |
| Brandon Jennings | 2012-13 | 23 | 80 | 2897 | .399 | .375 | .819 | 3.1 | 6.5 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 17.4 |
| Rajon Rondo | 2012-13 | 26 | 38 | 1423 | .484 | .240 | .645 | 5.4 | 10.6 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 13.2 |
| Kemba Walker | 2012-13 | 22 | 82 | 2859 | .423 | .322 | .798 | 3.6 | 5.9 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 18.3 |
| John Wall | 2012-13 | 22 | 49 | 1602 | .441 | .267 | .804 | 4.4 | 8.4 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 20.4 |
| Deron Williams | 2012-13 | 28 | 78 | 2842 | .440 | .378 | .859 | 2.9 | 7.7 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 18.7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/8/2013.
You’ll notice that among the best point guards in the East, Walker doesn’t stand out. He belongs in the discussion, but his numbers certainly don’t impress when compared to the others. Walker played the most games, averaged the most steals, turned it over the fewest times and committed the least fouls. That’s great to have on the team, but to get noticed as “the best” or even “one of the best,” one has to do more than that.
Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Bobcats shoots over Detroit Pistons defender Rodney Stuckey (3) during a Feb. 29, 2012, game at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. (Photo by Craig Downing/Flickr.com)
The Bobcats were one of the NBA’s worst teams last season and figure to be near the bottom again this season. However, they are trending in the right direction and have made some moves that should help free Walker a bit. Al Jefferson was brought in as a legitimate post option for a team that badly needed help in the middle. Anthony Tolliver and Jannero Pargo are serviceable 3-point shooters that should help spacing.
His 5.9 assists per game is poor for a point guard. However, consider that the Bobcats were dead last in the NBA in field goal percentage in 2012-13, making just 42.5 percent as team. That’s likely to improve. With more options offensively, Walker will convert more of those assist opportunities. As for his own shooting percentage, he won’t have to face the same kind of defense that can happily shade towards him on every play.
So back to the original question … is he top-five in the East?
It’s a tricky question. If you’re an NBA fan outside of Charlotte, there’s no way you’d trade any of the listed point guards for Walker. If you don’t watch games and rely on stats and metrics only to evaluate, you could put Walker ahead of Brandon Jennings. If you’re an NBA expert and do a bit of both, Walker falls short of everybody but Jennings.
Officially, that’s a solid sixth in the Eastern Conference for Walker. The Bobcats are lucky to have him, even though they haven’t done a great job of building around him (quite the understatement). Keep an eye on Walker this year, as he should continue to ascend his way up the point guard rankings with a much improved team and another year of experience.
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