#5 Pick: Kemba Walker (TOR) (Originally: Jonas Valanciunas)
Coming in with the fifth pick is Kemba Walker. Walker has singlehandedly kept the Charlotte Hornets alive in the past five years. Walker has been one of the driving factors for the Hornets, providing consistent and efficient scoring for a team that always lacked star-power.
Initially, Walker was selected with the ninth pick to the Bobcats, after a dominant University of Connecticut run in 2011. From 2011 to 2019, Walker was a mainstay and a franchise piece for the Hornets, who were looking to build around the guard, but failed miserably. Walker provided the team with dynamic scoring and play-making, leading the team to two playoff stints.
He was loyal, which was frowned-upon simply because of his team’s lack of success. Walker would then leave Charlotte in the 2019 offseason, replacing Kyrie Irving in Boston, with the Hornets receiving Terry Rozier in the process.
Over his career, Kemba Walker has averaged:
20.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 5.4 AST
I haven’t really talked about his actual playstyle, which is hard to describe. Walker is basically a basketball enigma, and can basically take over games in an instant. Walker provides a well-rounded scoring ability, being able to shoot the three and slash to the rim when needed. It’s unfortunate that Walker has been apart of a losing culture in Charlotte since we’ve barely seen him in any deep playoff runs.
Walker has always been a scoring machine, it makes loads of sense to give him the respect that he deserves.