“He’s fine,” explained Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens in a recent Zoom press conference when asked about the status of All-Star point guard Kemba Walker’s knee.
“He’s ready to roll,” he added with an air of certainty.
“It’s been a good plan of attack by our training staff. And Kemba, played well, and now minutes-wise, should be in good shape,” revealed Stevens.
“He’s just played a lot over the last 10 years. And so it was important to take a step back. In some ways the hiatus was probably beneficial for him, and then the opportunity to really strengthen over the first three weeks here, before ramping up as minutes, I thought it was the right move. Certainly, I didn’t know how we would come out of the gate as a team. We didn’t come out of the gate well … but we got better as time went on as he became more available and I think we’re ready.”
“The task is tall, but he feels good and we feel good,” added the Celtics coach.
Boston Celtics snubbed again in All-Seeding Games awards https://t.co/U9G1BJOaPa
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 16, 2020
When asked his thoughts on the lifting of his minutes restriction, the UConn product was pleasantly surprised.
“I didn’t even know it was lifted;” said Walker. “I’m happy to hear that, though.”
“I’m ready to go out there and play big minutes; I’m trying to do what I can to help my team win games. But, yes, I’m definitely tired of answering questions about my knee. I know you have to ask me, so I answer to the best of my abilities.”
Despite nine seasons in the NBA under his belt, this is only the third time in Walker’s career he’s had the pleasure of participating in the postseason.
CLAB 13: Talking the 76ers-Celtics 1st-round matchup with Anna Horford https://t.co/J1sjXvT2zR
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 15, 2020
And despite some analysts predicting a gentleman’s sweep, the Bronx native anticipates a stiff challenge from his Atlantic Division rivals.
“I’m really excited to be in the playoffs. As far as the Sixers, they definitely have left very athletic guys, they play really good defense. I think we can use our speed — that’s one of our advantages, we try to use that to the best of our abilities.”
“It’s going to be a battle, a hard-fought battle. Philly is a really good team with some great players, so we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
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