Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker Should Be A 2017 All-Star
The Eastern Conference is flush with sensational guards. Charlotte Hornets playmaker Kemba Walker should be with them at the 2017 NBA All-Star Game.
Kemba Walker’s legacy is safe and secure as one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time. His magical run with the Connecticut Huskies in 2011 will forever live on as an iconic display of what makes college basketball as special as it is.
Six years removed from his legend-making moment, Walker is on the cusp of a breakthrough as a star at the NBA level.
Walker has elevated his individual game and grown into his role as a leader of a postseason-caliber team. For as well as he’s played, however, Walker’s breakout season has been overlooked in All-Star discussions.
According to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, Walker doesn’t care about the All-Star Game—all he wants is to continue winning games.
"“I really don’t care, honestly,” Walker said Wednesday night of his All-Star chances. It’s really starting to get old, hearing about it. If my name is called, I’ll be super excited. But if not, I’ll just have to move on.“My main focus and goal right now is to win, and we haven’t done a great job of winning consistently. And so, All-Star is the last thing I’m thinking about right now.”"
That’s one of the primary reasons why Walker should be an All-Star.
At a time when household names are using All-Star Game appearances to deflect criticism for their lack of rings, all Walker wants to do is help his team win. He’s as selfless a star as any in the NBA, which is a tone-setting trait that his teammates feed off of.
Though Walker may not care if he’s selected to the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, it would be a crime for the coaches to omit him given the season he’s put forth.
Value To His Team
Few teams suffered as many losses via free agency as the Hornets. Both of the featured guards on the second unit, Jeremy Lin and Courtney Lee, departed for a team in New York, and former franchise player Al Jefferson wasn’t far behind them.
Despite losing three of the team’s top seven players in minutes per game from 2015-16, Cardiac Kemba has the Hornets playing postseason-caliber basketball at 22-21.
Charlotte is currently posting net ratings of +5.4 with Walker on the court and -5.0 when he isn’t. Not only is that a resounding difference of 10.4 points per 100 possessions, but the Hornets’ worst net rating has been accumulated with Walker off the court.
In other words: the Hornets play at a postseason-caliber level when Walker is on the court, but lose almost all positive momentum when he’s resting.
Furthermore, Walker ranks No. 3 amongst Eastern Conference point guards in Real Plus-Minus, trailing just Kyle Lowry and John Wall. That puts him ahead of All-Star starter Kyrie Irving and MVP candidate Isaiah Thomas.
With also ranks No. 12 in the NBA and No. 6 in the Eastern Conference with an average of 6.6 points per fourth quarter—a number he’s accumulated on a slash line of .503/.362/.870.
The Other Candidates
Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics, and John Wall of the Washington Wizards should be locks for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. Thomas is an MVP candidate, Lowry is a 28-15 team, and Wall is good for a nightly double-double on a winner.
Thus, if Kemba Walker is going to make the 2017 All-Star Game, he’ll need to compete with the forwards for one final spot.
One can pencil in Paul Millsap of the 25-18 Atlanta Hawks and Kevin Love of the 30-11 Cleveland Cavaliers as All-Stars. That leaves two spots remaining on the list of All-Star reserves—one of which Walker should undoubtedly fill.
The competition is respectable, but no one has as strong of a case to make as Walker.
Joel Embiid has been stellar and the Philadelphia 76ers are resurgent, but they’re still 15-26. Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and the New York Knicks have collapsed as a team, Paul George has been erratic, and Hassan Whiteside plays for a 13-30 Miami Heat team.
If we’re weighing both individual success and value to team success, Walker checks both boxes—something that no other player beyond the five locks can say with quite as much conviction.
Individual Production
Having established how valuable Kemba Walker is to his team’s success, the finishing touch is evaluating his individual production. Numbers aren’t always indicative of one’s quality as a player, but with Walker, they tell an appropriate story.
Long criticized for his inefficiency, Walker has blended a rise in production with an elite level of consistency as a star-caliber player.
Walker is currently averaging 23.2 points, 5.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2.9 3-point field goals made per game. He’s doing so on a slash line of .466/.423/.828 and has an Effective Field Goal percentage of .548—No. 9 amongst players averaging at least 20.0 points per game.
On a more traditional basis, Walker is one of six players averaging at least 20.0 points and 5.0 assists on a slash line of .450/.400/.800 or better.
It may have been easy to previously dismiss Walker based on his past inefficiency, but he’s producing at a star-caliber level and helping his team win games. He’s a reliable closer and is as valuable to his team’s success as any guard in the Eastern Conference.
Walker may not be featured as much as others in national media, but he’s played like an All-Star throughout the 2016-17 NBA regular season.
Must Read: Who's leading the race for MVP?
Based on how well he’s played, how he stacked up against the competition, and how valuable he is to a postseason-caliber team, Walker deserves to be an All-Star.