The Boston Celtics will be without the services of their starting point guard for the first portion of the season. Kemba Walker is recovering from a stem cell injection that should address some of his troubling knee issues that saw him miss a decent amount of time last season.
While now on a legitimate road to recovery, Walker opened up about his knee during a press conference with reporters on Wednesday:
Kemba Walker said “there’s no rush on my end.” Said he’ll come back when he’s ready to come back. “I want to be at my best.” He said he wasn’t at his best during the playoffs. “And it sucked. I don’t want it to be like that no more.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 2, 2020
Kemba Walker said the stem cell injection has already made him feel better, “calmed the knee down.”
He said he needed to strengthen his knee.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 2, 2020
At best, Walker should hopefully be available for game action in January given his current timeline. The first noticeable sign of his knee issues came during the 2020 All-Star game, in which Walker was expected to receive limited action. Afterward, his playing time was sporadic on some game nights with the Celtics while he rested altogether on others.
After the NBA went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was believed that the time off would give Walker the necessary amount of time to be off his legs and give his knee time to heal. Even as the coaching staff slowly brought him aboard as the season resumed in the Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, it was obvious that Walker still wasn't the same elite point guard that rose to stardom during his time with the Charlotte Hornets only a season ago.
The Celtics made sure to bring in some additional backup while Walker is sidelined. They signed veteran point guard Jeff Teague during free agency, and both he and Marcus Smart will surely make up the bulk of Walker's minutes as he recovers.
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