Kemba Walker

Friends,

The NBA season is nearly back, so you know what that means....BALD DON'T LIE RETURNS FROM HIATUS.  I know I promised to write about politics, pop culture and other cool things and I didn't.  Grad school got in the way.  However, nothing will stop me from writing about the NBA.  Last season was just too good, and this season could be even better.

I want to share an email I sent to Rob Mahoney of SI.com about Kemba Walker.  I noticed a little over a week ago he wasn't in the 80-100 range of top NBA players, but jokers like JJ Redick and Matt Barners were.  I sent him and email, and Rob was kind enough to respond.   Here is goes.

The Email

Fellas,

I am absolutely shocked you did not place Kemba Walker in your top 100.  Kemba averaged 17.7 points, 5.7 assists and 2.0 steals a game.  He started 82 games last season and is clearly the leader of (lowly) Bobcats.  Despite not winning many games, Walker is more deserving than players like JJ Redick, Matt Barnes, Danny Green and Kyle Korver.  He is a team leader while those players are only role players.

Thanks for your time,

--Adam Lutterloh

The Response

Hey Adam,

Appreciate the response. Kemba was a close cut for us on the Top 100 ranking, and omitted largely due some of his limitations as a player. He deserves credit for all the things you mentioned -- his per-game averages, his role, his dependability -- but I just don't put much stock in "leading" a team as poor as Charlotte. He's not a bad player, though, and he was very much on the borderline group of players we tried to make room for. 

The reason for that was that he's not as helpful as his basic counting stats would have you believe. He's a good scorer, but not so good that he should be playing a prominent role in an offense. He's a decent, functional passer, but doesn't do much to elevate the play of his teammates. He can't shoot from beyond the arc (a crucial skill for perimeter players in a league where spacing is put at a premium), has a hard time finishing around the rim due to his size, and lives off of the most inefficient shot in the game (the mid-range jumper). He's productive enough to be decent, but just doesn't bring enough to the table offensively for my liking.

Along with that, I'm not crazy about high-usage players who yield underwhelming results. Walker scores, and that's great. But he's not yet equipped to be anything more than a below-average starting point guard, whereas the other guys you mentioned find ways to contribute without dominating the ball. All of those players (even Korver) are better defenders than Walker, and most of that lot does a ton in the margins -- those little contributions that wind up making a significant difference. They don't shoot as often or see the ball as much, but being a role player isn't an indictment so much as a description. In this case: All of those role players succeed in the roles they've been given, many to an exemplary degree. Walker does not, and considering his game (scoring-dependent but not terribly efficient, poor on D, lacking as a playmaker) I'm frankly not sure to what winning role he'd be well-suited.

I'm hoping he comes along -- Kemba's a really likeable guy. Just doesn't play a style conducive to good NBA basketball as of yet.

Cheers,

Rob Mahoney

Link to Sports Illustrated's Top 100 NBA Players list:  http://nba.si.com/2013/09/20/top-100-players-of-2014-nos-10-1/