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Kemba Walker made a huge statement for the New York Knicks on Saturday night against the Boston Celtics after a surprise start for head coach Tom Thibodeau. The former All-Star was thrust into the lineup amid the Knicks' shortage of manpower and boy, did Kemba respond in a major way.
Walker came out with a season-high 29-point performance in what was easily his best game as a member of the Knicks. This was despite the fact that he had missed the last 10 games after unceremoniously being yanked from the rotation. After the game, Walker declared his desire to play and how he believes he deserves to be in the lineup.
Coach Thibodeau has now broken his silence about Walker's situation with the Knicks. For starters, the tenured head coach played down Walker's heroics from Saturday night. According to Thibodeau, he expected his veteran point guard to be ready if and when his opportunity came. Thibs said that “that's what pros are supposed to do.”
When asked about Walker's reaction to being placed in the dog house, Thibodeau responded in a rather cryptic manner:
“Well, that's who he is,” Thibodeau said. “I have an appreciation for that. With all players there's going to be frutsrations. I got great respect for Kemba.
“I talk to the team everyday and then I talk to every player appropriately. That's what a head coach's job is. But I have an appreciation for frustration. He's an accomplished player. But I have to do what I think is best for the team. That's how I'm going to make my decisions.”
Thibodeau then pointed out that in spite of Walker's explosion, the Knicks still lost out to the Celtics, 114-107. As such, the 63-year-old remains non-committal with regard to Kemba's role in the squad moving forward:
“I look at how the team plays,” Thibodeau said. “There were some good things; obviously, some things that we have to do a lot better. But at the end of the day, we lost the game. We gotta win. It's not about individuals, it's about the team. My mentality is like, just worry about today. Tomorrow we worry about tomorrow. I think that's the only way we can approach this.”
Like several other teams in the NBA, the Knicks have been decimated by injuries/COVID-19 protocols of late. They need all the help they can get right now, and it does seem like Kemba Walker is going to get more opportunities to prove his worth to the team in the immediate future.
