Kemba Walker update

[CamrnCrz1974]

Walker is taking over the starting spot from DJ Augustin on Tuesday.

In 15 starts this season, the rook has averaged 15.3 ppg, 4.1 apg, 5.0 rpg and 1.5 3-ppg (overall, really great numbers). On the downside, though, he hit just 36.4 percent of the 14.2 shots he attempted each game as a starter. Still, that number should improve, with more experience/minutes.

 

[caw]

Walker is taking over the starting spot from DJ Augustin on Tuesday.

In 15 starts this season, the rook has averaged 15.3 ppg, 4.1 apg, 5.0 rpg and 1.5 3-ppg (overall, really great numbers). On the downside, though, he hit just 36.4 percent of the 14.2 shots he attempted each game as a starter. Still, that number should improve, with more experience/minutes.

His A/TO ratio has been really high recently. First 22 games (December/January) he was at 79/47. Last 29 games (Feb/March) he was at 131/39.

His assist averages have gone up every month 3.3 -> 3.6 -> 4.4 -> 4.9 while his minutes haven't necessarily correlated (19.3 -> 28.7 -> 31.7 -> 22.4). Five assists per game in 22.4 minutes over 17 games is pretty darn good (March numbers).

His shooting percentage has been pretty bad, he misses a lot of open shots and is struggling to finish at the rim (as well as not getting calls).

I actually think the not getting calls is the biggest difference between horrid and respectable shooting for him. There are probably 1-2 shots a game that he is fouled on with no call, that he can't get to drop. If he gets the foul that shot attempt is erased and his shooting percentage would look a decent. JMO of course

 

[Tenspro2002]

Let's not forget all the 8-22 shooting nights Kemba had while we were stumbling through Big East play. His jump shot is not a natural strength. He can get hot at times, but as far as pure shooting ability, he was average for a point guard in college and probably below-average in the pros.

 

[TheChamps990411]

acutally those stats are pretty impressive for a rookie on a terrible team.

 

[Gurleyman]

He actually gets open jump shots far more often with the Bobcats than he did with us (the help defenders always came with us, whereas now, NBA teams will take their chances with a 37 percent shooter). His 8-for-22 nights with us usually involved getting barely any open looks and having to take shots that were high degree of difficulty, whereas now he's getting the clean looks and not knocking them down as consistently as he hopefully will next year with his NBA legs underneath him. In college, as pointed out above, he could get to the rim on a day when his jumper was struggling. Even the tough running five-footers over the bigs that he made at UConn are now typically misses (sometimes blocked). He'll have to develop a better mid-range rhythm jumper as his career goes on since he can get that shot whenever he wants and he's just too streaky with it right now.

This is a little factor as well, but the 24-second shot clock means more "911 shots" to beat the buzzer when the offense breaks down, which it does a lot with Charlotte (some of which is on Kemba for being an inexperienced PG).