Boston Celtics small forward Gordon Hayward helped point guard Kemba Walker become more comfortable in Boston at the beginning of the 2019-20 season.
Walker says at times, he was passing up shots to start the season because he didn't want to come off as a ball hog to his new Celtics teammates.
That's when Hayward pulled Walker aside and told him to shoot the ball more:
“He was always coming up to me, telling me that they want me to be more aggressive—they can tell when I'm not,” Kemba Walker said about Gordon Hayward, via Yaron Weitzman of Bleacher Report.
“He made me feel comfortable, which I really appreciated, especially early in the year. Just letting me know that nobody is going to say anything, and nobody is going to be mad at me for shooting [certain] shots.”
Before the 2019-20 season was suspended in March due to COVID-19, Walker was averaging 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists in his first campaign with the Celtics. The four-time All-Star was also shooting 42.1 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from beyond the arc and 86.7 percent from the free-throw line.
Walker has only played in 11 postseason games in his career. Through a sign-and-trade deal with the Charlotte Hornets, Walker signed a four-year, $140.79 million contract with the Celtics in the summer of 2019. He joined Boston because he feels he can go on a deep playoff run with the Beantown team.
The Celtics racked up 43 wins prior to Rudy Gobert's positive COVID-19 test in March. They have already clinched a playoff spot in the East for the 2020 postseason.
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