Winners and losers from the NBA’s opening week in 2018-19
By Amaar Burton
Winner: Kemba Walker
No one in the league has a brighter green light than Walker, who is pretty much the only player on the Charlotte Hornets considered a consistent scoring threat. He has therefore been given the keys to do whatever he needs to do to give the Hornets a chance to win each night.
Through Tuesday’s schedule, Walker’s 98 total field goal attempts leads the league, and his 45 attempts from 3-point range are just two behind league leader Stephen Curry. Walker is averaging 33.0 points per game, second-best in the NBA.
In short, Walker is getting the kind of freedom that most players want, even if some of them would never publicly admit it.
#NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week Kemba Walker:
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) October 23, 2018
- 8.3 pull-up three-point attempts per game, while shooting 42.4%
- 16.5 PPG on pull-up jumpers pic.twitter.com/ojKtqt3DCM
As a result, the Hornets have been better than expected. They are 2-2, which includes a win over the Miami Heat in which Walker made the game-winning free throw, and a one-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in which Walker scored 41 points.
Walker appears to be on the way to his third straight All-Star Game, even if he ultimately can’t drag the Hornets along with him to the playoffs.