Four members of the Boston Celtics managed to make the final Team USA 12-man roster: Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown and new addition Kemba Walker. The three aforementioned players have plenty of praise for Walker, who has shown his leadership mettle as the undisputed leader of this roster:
“He fits in perfectly. Everything that Brad (Stevens) envisions as players, (Kemba) has it,” said Smart, referring to his Celtics coach, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
Others have picked up on other aspects of his persona, including his qualities as a teammate:
“I didn’t know how down to Earth and how humble he was,” said Brown.
“He’s really humble, and a guy like that you always want to be around because he gives off good energy,” Smart added.
Walker has been a steady presence for Team USA in this tournament, averaging 14.6 points and 6.0 assists per game through the initial five games of the group stage. That steady punch is exactly what the Celtics are looking for after a roller-coaster ride of 2018-19 season with Kyrie Irving leading the way:
“I think that resiliency that he carries will fit Boston’s personality very well,” Brown continued.
“Hopefully there are good things to come for the future,” Tatum added.
Should these four Celtics continue to mesh like they have over the course of the past few weeks, they will have reaped the benefits of spending a month and a half together bonding as teammates.
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