It’s hard not to look back to Sunday’s 114-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and wonder if the Boston Celtics would have swept their longtime rivals had their starting point guard Kemba Walker been available.
While the loss shouldn’t impact their playoff seeding in the East too much, it would have been an ending every Celtics fan would have especially relished after the statement made by budding superstar Jayson Tatum in the game’s second and third quarters.
Walker reluctantly sat for the contest after swelling in his knee required draining and an anti-inflammatory shot, perhaps aggravated by an extended stint in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.
As hard as it might have been for Boston fans to watch such a close game slip away, it was even harder for the UConn product, who has prided himself on being there for his teams throughout his career as a hooper.
#NEBHInjuryReport Brad Stevens says Kemba Walker is getting better by the day and that he put a lot of work in yesterday in the weight room. “It’s not a long-term thing,” Stevens adds.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 23, 2020
Boston head coach Brad Stevens was optimistic about Walker’s return to action despite his absence in the loss, however, striking a positive tone about the former Husky’s prospects.
“I think he’s getting better day by day,” offered Stevens via MassLive’s John Karalis.
“He did a lot in the weight room and workout room yesterday and we talked about it a little bit. I don’t know how long it’s going to be but right now we’re really focusing on him feeling great and strengthening it.”
Walker has previously had knee discomfort despite showing no structural issues while with the Charlotte Hornets, and had to have it drained as recently as 2016.
Boston fans currently worried about what this means for the All-Star floor general will be happy to hear that the last time it happened, Walker was out for just one game.
Interestingly, then as now, there seems to be a connection between playing extended minutes and it swelling enough to need drainage.
Accustomed to playing long minutes as the only real offensive option on his team, Walker said at the time (courtesy of the Charlotte Observer’s Bill Kriser) that he “had been playing through it,” noting he’d “been playing so many minutes and … so many close games, overtime games, in that span.”
Kemba Walker has been ruled out of tonight’s game but the expectation is this will not be a long-term injury. https://t.co/dOwVpFoLKO
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 21, 2020
And while the Hornets lost that next game the Bronx native played in, he actually wanted to suit up in the sole contest he missed, the same day he had the fluid drained.
He would also go on to get his first All-Star nod the following season.
So Celtics fans should feel a little less nervous about the future of their All-NBA point guard — he’s been here before and risen to new heights with less cautious interventions.
As long as there are no signs of structural problems and the medical staff gives Walker the green light, he should be back on the court as soon as he feels ready, knowing he has the trust of his coach and his franchise.
“If they tell me he can play, he plays.,” offered Stevens. “Otherwise we trust them and he does too — and we’re moving on from there.”
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