When the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Boston Celtics in Game 1of the playoffs on Monday, it will only be the third time Celtics guard Kemba Walker has ever been in the playoffs. He made twice in previous years with the Charlotte Hornets franchise.
In both of those playoff appearances, Walker had to take on the Miami Heat. The first time matching up with Miami in 2014, that was the last version of the Heat “Big 3” with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. In 2016, he had to take on a Heat team with Josh Richardson as a key member of the team.
Now, that he is taking on the Sixers in the 2020 playoffs, he has to take on Richardson again and he says he can’t escape the wiry shooting guard when the playoffs roll around.
Kemba Walker: "I can't escape Josh (Richardson) man. Every time I go to the playoffs, I'm going against him. He's a great defender. Great size and great length."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 15, 2020
Walker averaged 22.7 points and shot 36.6% from the floor against the Heat in the 2016 playoffs. When he was defended by Richardson this season in his first season in Boston, he shot 4-for-11 with a turnover in their matchups where Philadelphia took three of the four matchups.
One can assume that Richardson will be the primary defender against Walker in this upcoming series considering he is best equipped to defend the quicker point guards in the league. [lawrence-related id=36825,36822,36819]