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Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens put a rather humorous spin on point guard Kemba Walker's ejection on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs.
Stevens applauded Walker for getting tossed, citing he would have had a hard time taking Walker out of the game despite the All-Star point guard returning from a long illness on a minutes restriction, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston:
Brad Stevens says Kemba Walker did him a favor getting tossed because of minute restriction.
"I appreciate him looking out for me. It would have been hard to take him out with that comeback going the way it was. … That’s nice. Team player. Thinking of others, always.”
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) January 9, 2020
Walker was ejected during the third quarter of Thursday night's loss after protesting a hard screen–and apparent no-call–from Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
Both Stevens and Walker were livid following the play, and Walker did not stop mouthing off to the official in question after receiving his first technical. The ejection was the first of Kemba's career.
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Walker had missed the last three games due to illness, and he played just under 18 minutes on Thursday night before he was ultimately ejected, scoring six points on 3-of-6 shooting while adding four assists and three rebounds
The Celtics have tried to remain particularly vigilant with respect to the health and playing time of core pieces like Walker, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart, so it comes as no surprise he was on a minutes restriction.
Boston have a quick turnaround on Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, and it is unknown whether Walker is still on a leash with respect to his playing time.
In any case, the 29-year-old has excelled in his first year with the Celtics, averaging 22.0 points, 5.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds while also showing the ability to play off the ball and defer to the likes of Hayward, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
