Kemba Walker did not get off to a great start with the New York Knicks, with coach Tom Thibodeau going as far as to bench the veteran point guard for a brief stint. Walker returned to the rotation following an injury to Derrick Rose, and the difference in his play ever since has been night and day. In an interview with The Athletic's Fred Katz, Walker opened up on his early-season woes and his subsequent reemergence as a star.

“I just have a tendency of kind of not wanting to step on toes,” Walker said. “I think that’s what I did early on. I was here and I wasn’t being as aggressive, I think, as I could have been. But I think being out and seeing how the game has been flowing and going put me in a different mindset.”

Walker described his benching as a “blessing in disguise.” Rather than get disgruntled by Thibodeau's decision to sideline him, Walker took it in stride and managed to learn from it and make improvements to his game.

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The former Hornets star was benched for 10 consecutive games before getting another opportunity in the rotation. Once reinserted, Walker ensured Thibs would never again leave him out of his plans. In the four games since returning to the lineup, Walker has averaged 26.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 4.3 3-pointers per game, helping the Knicks maintain a 2-2 record in that span.

Talk about proving you belong. Walker likely won't need to worry about another stint riding the pine any time soon, and he's been looking like his old self over the past few games. The Knicks will certainly hope he can continue his incredible run as they look to climb back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. The team is currently 15-18 and are in 11th place in the East.