Just before his birthday, Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Kemba Walker interviewed with former Celtic and NBC Sports Boston personality Brian Scalabrine as the former checked in with the latter in the midst of the ongoing pandemic.
The UConn product has kept a slightly lower profile than many of his younger teammates, so curiosity about what he’s been up to over the last six weeks was a prominent topic in the exchange.
“Quarantine has been very interesting,” began the Bronx native a bit sarcastically.
“I mean, it’s not much to do — just sit around the house, working out a little bit as much as I can, try and do as much as I can do, but for the most part, just relaxing. I mean, there’s really not much to do,” finished Walker.
“I usually take quite some time off,” at the end of seasons, he added, noting quarantine is “different, because right now we just don’t know what to expect.
“We don’t know whether to stay in shape, or know when to relax because [there’s], still a possibility of the season coming back,” the four-time All-Star explained, alluding to the still-unsettled issue of keeping players in as close to game shape as possible without access to training facilities.
Walker also spoke about how the team came together over the season, and how Boston adapted to the loss of big men like Al Horford and Aron Baynes.
“Obviously, we’re just not always as big as everyone, but for the most part, coming into the season, our main focus was us using our speed. That’s the advantage we have over a lot of people. Our speed, our tenacity; we pride ourselves on helping each other. We have to scramble around, [but] I think we do a great job at that.”
The former Husky credits his summer FIBA tournament experience — and long friendship with forward Gordon Hayward — with setting the tone behind the team’s chemistry driving their success this season.
WATCH: Kemba Walker's best 2019-20 moments, on his birthday https://t.co/LghjzJpU3O via @thecelticswire
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 8, 2020
“Being that I’d already done Team USA with [Marcus] Smart, [Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum], we sort of had a relationship already,” Walker began. “Me and [Hayward] had already been cool over the years.”
“I already had a pretty good relationship with the main core guys, and when it comes down to it, and then when you’re on the floor, and you want more out of somebody, time doesn’t matter — nothing really matters,” he added. “[Not] how long you’ve been there, [nor] stature. Anything goes. Anyone can say something to anyone, when it’s time to compete.”
“I didn’t have a problem back then, because that’s kind of what they wanted me to do anyway, and I’m not even talking about the guys up top and the guys who brought me here.”
Perhaps a veiled statement on the dysfunction of the team before he arrived, or perhaps a maxim to live by, Walker emphasized the importance of communication.
“I’m talking about my teammates — that’s what they expect. They don’t want anybody not saying anything, because that’s not how it should go.”
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