The Boston Celtics are 25-8 entering their Monday night matchup with the Washington Wizards, which is in stark contrast to last season when they were a dysfunctional mess. While there are numerous reasons for the Celtics' stronger play this year, the biggest factor seems to be Kemba Walker, who replaced Kyrie Irving as Boston's point guard and has brought a brand of leadership that Irving never came close to bringing.
Ironically enough, Walker will be missing his third straight game on Monday due to an illness, but when he has been on the floor, the results have been undeniable.
Walker has not only been great individually, averaging 22.5 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds over 32.3 minutes per game, but his effect on his teammates has been palpable.
Jaylen Brown has taken a massive step forward that not many people anticipated in his fourth year. Jayson Tatum has been terrific, his strange penchant for missing layups notwithstanding.
Of course, Gordon Hayward's terrific play has more to do with his health than anything else, but he has also seemed to fit seamlessly alongside of Walker and has probably been the Celtics' best player when he has been on the floor.
Walker has even brought out the best in bigs Enes Kanter and Daniel Theis, both of whom excel in certain areas but are limited in others.
Basically, Boston's entire team has fed off Walker's leadership (he even got the team together for a New Year's Eve celebration), and it has paid significant dividends as the C's continue to climb toward a potential 60-win campaign (they are currently on pace for 62 wins).
It really makes you wonder what the Celtics could have accomplished last season had Walker been there instead of Irving.
Regardless, Boston could not have asked for a better fit at the point guard position this year, and the club appears to be a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference as a result.
While Irving may be the better talent, Walker is the more consistent player, both in terms of his effort and his locker-room presence. He is always giving 100 percent on both ends of the floor, which is something that cannot be said for Irving, who is actually decent defensively when he locks in but rarely focuses enough for that to occur.
That effort level has rubbed off on everyone else. Tatum. Brown. Kanter. Theis. Even Brad Wanamaker.
There is no doubt the Celtics have some holes that need patching. They still need another big man, and it would certainly be nice if they added another experienced bench piece alongside Marcus Smart and Kanter.
But the framework is definitely there for Boston to challenge for a championship, and while that may not happen this year (there is a whole lot of competition in the East, and whoever wins the West will probably beat the East representative), it could absolutely happen next season and beyond.
Much of that is thanks to Kemba Walker, who has completely reversed what was a toxic Celtics locker room a year ago, turning it into a haven for veterans, young players and coaches alike.
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