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NBA Player Power Rankings: Three-Quarter Season Awards

By Maxwell Ogden

Feb 22, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts with forward Draymond Green (23) after making a three point shot against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts with forward Draymond Green (23) after making a three point shot against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) dribbles against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Honorable Mention: Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets

Award: N/A

Last Rank: N/A

Position: Point Guard

Age: 25

Slash Line: .434/.387/.841

Season Averages: 36.1 MPG, 21.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.5 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 2.1 3PM

No one seems to be doing it, but someone needs to be heralding Kemba Walker for becoming one of the better young leaders in the NBA. Walker has taken a Charlotte Hornets team that’s been ravaged by injuries to key players including Al Jefferson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and guided them to an overachieving 35-28 record.

Having shaken the inconsistency that plagued him early in his career, Walker’s play and Charlotte’s surprising sucess have earned him a spot on this list.

Walker opened this past week with 33 points and 10 assists on 9-of-17 shooting during a 108-101 victory against the Indiana Pacers. He then tallied 34 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in a 108-103 escape of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and had 35 points and seven assists in an 122-113 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Overall, Walker has scored at least 20 points in 13 of his past 14 games—a stretch during which the Hornets are 11-3—and has 30-plus points in four straight outings.

Walker has been overlooked for much of 2015-16, but he’s been playing at a star-caliber level since the beginning of February. One could argue that he’s been playing this well all season, and his 52 and 40-point eruptions in January justify such a belief.

If Walker and the Hornets end this season at the rate they’ve been playing, it’d be very difficult to justify his not winning Most Improved Player—no matter what story the statistics tell.

Next: A Bit of Everything