Kemba Walker: Season Review

[jonathanlambert33]

I discussed this a bit in our End of Season Roundtable, but I found Walker's season to be a bit disappointing, partially due to expectations I had and partially due to his regression as an effective scorer.

However, the last few months were quite encouraging. In Walker's first season with a true complementary dependable offensive weapon, the offense struggled to find its foothold early in the season but when it found its groove, Walker performed much better as a passer, which shouldn't be too surprising. However, his field goal percentage fell three percentage points, which is only slightly mitigated by a marginally improved three-point shot. Walker's shot selection turned more heavily to the midrange and long shots. He took 41.5 percent of his field goals inside 10 feet in the previous season, which fell to 30.8 this year. The average distance on his attempts increased from 13.4 to 15.2 feet.

With a monumental coaching change between the two years, it can be difficult to parse out the individual performance from the team changes. Clearly the Bobcats' slowed down a ton. Easier transition points dried up to cut down on turnovers and to become more disciplined on defense while committing to a more fundamental offense. That hurts Walker's offensive impact, sure, but it makes the team better, especially defensively which can pay dividends on offense in turn. In narrowing our focus, MySynergySports tells us Steve Clifford and the Bobcats utilized Walker much more in the pick and roll to the tune of 41.6 percent of his possessions, up from 35.8. The pick and roll is a neat play due to the ability of the guard and big to ad lib as they read the defense's reaction, which can open up either player for scoring chances or draw defenders from elsewhere on the court. Unfortunately, Walker shot much worse out of the pick and roll than last year, which I think we can attribute to his willingness to settle for long midrange shots, which he simply didn't make at a good rate.

Season grade: B-
Walker's offense took a little step back, but he still had a strong season and showed improvement as a distributor towards the last chunk of the season, buoying his poor shooting.

http://www.rufusonfire.com/2014/5/13/5714376/bobcats-individual-season-reviews-kemba-walker

 

[jonathanlambert33]

After a solid 2012-13 campaign in which he improved in almost every area, many were looking for Kemba Walker to take the next step this season. While Walker’s game didn’t regress after his successful sophomore season, it didn’t appear to make significant strides either. Overall, his play appeared to plateau, and his statistics stagnated.

The team found some success, making their first ever playoff appearance, and new addition Al Jefferson seemed to gel with Walker; a relationship that can be built upon. Overall however, Walker didn’t demonstrate the development that he did between seasons one and two. He continued to show that he belongs in the league, but he didn’t separate himself to provide a definite answer to the lingering question of if he is a long-term starting solution at Charlotte’s point guard position.

Strengths: Walker continues to possess one of the tightest handles in the league, as well as having one of the game’s most killer crossovers. Coupled with blazing speed, Walker can get just about anywhere he wants on the court in a matter of seconds. Very few defenders can stay in front of him, and when he chooses to, he can use this ability to get into the paint and breakdown the defense. It also makes for some great highlights.

Another solid aspect of the season for Walker was his continued improvement as a passer. Walker has improved upon his assists numbers each of his first three seasons in the league, and he averaged a career high 6.1 assists per game (up from 5.7 last season). While that number will need to continue to increase if Walker is going to become one of the league’s elite, it was good enough for 14th overall in the NBA last season.

Going hand-in-hand with his improved passing is the fact that he continues to take relatively good care of the ball. Walker averaged only 2.3 turnovers per game; his lowest mark as a pro. Considering how often he has the ball in his hand (he is 29th in the NBA in usage rate), that is pretty impressive. As a result, he was 34th in the League in assist-to-turnover ratio; a number that could be improved upon, but is a solid sign.

Weaknesses: Defense has never been Kemba’s calling card, and at times he struggled this season. Although he has made improvements in the area, Walker remains undersized, and sometimes has difficulty matching up physically with some of the league’s bigger guards. In the past he has been able to make up for some of this by using his speed and anticipation to get into the passing lanes and secure steals, but he feel to 51st in the league in total steals after being in the top ten last season.

One of the more glaring flaws in Walker’s game continues to be his shot selection. He loves the mid-range jump shot, and after take some strides last season to improve his shot selection, he regressed this season. His field goal percentage fell from a passable 42% last season to a chilly 39% this season. A lot of that has to do with his shot selection. Last year, Walker took almost 38% of his shots in eight feet or closer to the basket, and converted those shots at almost a 50% clip. This season, Walker took only 28% of his shots from eight feet and in, and his efficiency fell. The rest of those attempts were allocated to midrange jumpers, which were converted at a much lower percentage.

http://queencityhoops.com/blog/2014/05/12/season-report-card-13-14-kemba-walker/

 

[bosoxlover12]

Kemba the OG

 

[Giantmetfan07]

Still waiting to see more out of him. Really not that impressed so far though I know he can be better.