NBA: Ranking every team’s best player in 2019-20
. Kemba Walker. 12. player. 18. .
Purely examining on-court impact, Kemba Walker is a little behind the point guard he is replacing with the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving. Once the intangibles are factored in, however, Walker leaps over his fellow 2011 draftee. Walker brings his teammates together, he rises to the moment, and his fan bases embrace him.
The Celtics are ready for a culture change and are hoping that adding Walker offsets the loss of Al Horford. The small guard is a fearless shooter, improving his accuracy and versatility from anywhere on the court. His best performances come in the pick-and-roll, and the Celtics will likely work more of that in to maximize their star.
Can Walker help this collection of wings in Boston come together as a contender? It’s a difficult task and Walker has never been past the first round of the playoffs. That being said he has never had a team this talented around him and his performance in the NCAA Tournament en route to the title while with Connecticut showed his sense of the moment.
Boston is ready to enter the playoffs with Walker this season.
Looking ahead: Best-case for the Celtics is Jayson Tatum blossoming into a true two-way superstar forward in the class of Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, a player who can impact the game in greater ways than Walker. If Gordon Hayward can reach his pre-injury level of play he could pass Walker if the point guard stumbles as he nears 30.
Most likely he is the leader of this team and its best player for years to come.