Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Hornets is enjoying what has been by far the finest season of his NBA career. The 26-year-old point guard is averaging career-best marks in points per game (23), field goal percentage (46.2%), and three-point percentage (41.5%). Despite his fantastic season, Walker does not believe that he is worthy of being named an Eastern Conference All-Star, he tells the Associated Press:
“Not really, if you ask me,” Walker said. “Especially because of where my team is. But like I said, I really don’t care honestly.”
“We haven’t been doing a great job of winning consistently (so) the All-Star game is the last thing I’m going to think about right now.”
As Walker noted, if he is left off of the All-Star ballot, it would likely be primarily due to his team’s standing. After dropping seven of their last nine games, the Hornets sit with a record of 21-21 – putting them at seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Walker has had an excellent season, but it’s tough to argue that he’s been better than East guards Kyle Lowry, Isaiah Thomas, John Wall, or Kyrie Irving. DeMar DeRozan has had quite the spectacular year as well. Steve Clifford, the Hornets’ head coach, spoke on the competitiveness of the Eastern Conference All-Star backcourt spots:
“It’s not a question of whether or not he’s playing like an All-Star – he’s an All-Star-caliber guard, no question about it,” Clifford said. “The factors will be looking at the other point guards in the East. The East is loaded. Point guard is the best position in our league right now and also, a lot of other guys are playing on teams with better records than ours. It’s about winning.”
