Boston Celtics: Kemba Walker expects his team to perform better

In a game where Jayson Tatum was predominantly missing in action, it was Kemba Walker who kept the Boston Celtics alive in one of their most recent games against the Washington Wizards on Sunday afternoon. Walker’s performance was a positive sign to see for the Celtics and their fans, but is he finally starting to find his groove after a delayed start to the 2020-21 season?

It’s fair to say that the Celtics are built for success when Walker is healthy and at his best. Despite Tatum and Jaylen Brown playing at All-Star levels, the team still needs that third player to produce consistently and complete the trio accompanying Brown and Tatum. For a while, it was Marcus Smart by default, but with him sidelined to injury and Walker still on a minutes restriction, the Celtics are still missing that third player to consistently run the floor with Tatum and Brown.

However, despite his recent struggles in finding his rhythm this season, Walker showed up for the Celtics and was surprisingly one of the only positive takeaways from the game against the Wizards, who rank at the bottom of the NBA this season. Walker finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field with 25 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in the loss.

To put this game in a better perspective, Walker’s two assists and seven rebounds were tied for the second-most on the team in those statistical categories. Walker was also the only player on the Celtics to make more than two of his 3-point shot attempts (4-7 from 3-point range) and only one of two players on the team to score double-digit points in the game. All in all, the Celtics just flat-out didn’t play well in this game.

The positive signs from Walker, besides his obvious production, were watching the different ways he maneuvered himself around the court, cutting in and out of the painted area, and created scoring opportunities for himself throughout the entire game. There were also moments where he was explosive in his drives towards the basket. All of which showed that Walker’s knee does seem to be intact and that he can do some of the things that he’s accustomed to doing on the court.

Kemba Walker expresses that the Boston Celtics aren’t playing to their full potential

Walker appears to be on the better side of his recovery process, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time for the Celtics. At the same time, Walker understands that the team is in a position where they need all hands on deck and can’t afford to be without any of their core players anymore. To which he had this to say about the near future of the team after their most recent loss to the Wizards, making it their 10th loss in their last 15 games.

"“We’re just not playing the way we know that we’re capable of playing. That has to be fixed. And soon. We’ve gotta change some things. And we will. It can’t get no worse than this. So we’re gonna fix it for sure.” – Kemba Walker, per Jay King of The Athletic"

Walker continued on by adding in his thoughts on some potential positive takeaways from the outing.

"“Positive? It ain’t many positives [right now] I’m gonna be honest. We just are not good right now. But it’s very controllable.” – Kemba Walker, per Jay King of The Athletic"

Walker, who rarely has shown any disappointment or dissatisfaction since being in Boston, believes that this Celtics team isn’t good enough right now to hang with some of the league’s best teams as we inch closer to the All-Star break. Although it’s different to hear Walker’s frustrations regarding the team and their struggles as of late, he’s not at all wrong with what he’s saying.

The Boston Celtics have a lot of work to do in order to get back to playing winning basketball. It’s fair to say that the lack of practice time while switching up the lineups and rotations has started to have a negative effect on the overall team. There are also some holes in the roster that could be addressed by using the $27.9 million traded-player exception prior to the NBA’s trade deadline.

All in all, the most important thing for the Boston Celtics right now is for Walker to continue regaining strength and confidence in his knee while also becoming more consistent and reliable for the team. As Walker continues to rediscover himself on the court after a delayed start to the season, the Celtics should become more consistent as a result of having him back full time.