Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker has reached the top of the charts in a rather unlikely way, as his 47-point, three-assist performance against the Utah Jazz on Monday accounted for an NBA-record 88.7 percent of the starters’ scoring, according to Jason Kubatko of StatMuse.
Such percentages are usually tied to giant scoring nights like Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game or magnanimous performances like James Harden’s tsunami-like triple-doubles. But in Walker’s case, his scoring barrage was only a reflection of the Hornets’ futility, as only three of the five starters logged over 25 minutes in a relatively close game.
Walker was an efficient 15-of-28 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from deep and 13-of-15 from the foul line, putting up 47 of the starters’ total of 53 points in his 37 minutes of action:
.@KembaWalker (47 PTS) drops a franchise-record 38 2nd half PTS for the @hornets in Utah! #Hornets30 pic.twitter.com/6BUwvKTESP
— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2019
Yet the rest of the starters were only 3-of-14 from the floor, forcing coach James Borrego to play his bench most of the game.
Four Hornets players recorded a goose egg in the game, as starters Marvin Williams (0-for-4) and Miles Bridges (0-for-5) went scoreless, while Devonte Graham (0-for-7) and Frank Kaminsky (0-for-3) did as well off the bench. Bismack Biyombo (four points) and Dwayne Bacon (two points) accounted for the other scoring from the starters.
This only further emphasizes how little the Hornets have around Walker and how much they need to re-sign him in the offseason to be of any importance as a franchise in this league.
Yet it’s performances like this one that would make Kemba Walker double-guess his commitment to the city of Charlotte and the franchise, given the lack of help he has been given over the course of his eight-year career with the franchise.