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Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker is Finally Starting to Get the Respect That He Deserves

By Jerry Stephens

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With the Charlotte Hornets garnering more and more attention, Kemba Walker is finally starting to receive the respect that he deserves.

The Charlotte Hornets are only five years removed from recording the worst season in NBA history. Kemba Walker was a part of that team but even through the tough times, he stuck around and got better. His growth and development can be correlated a paralleled to the success of the team as a whole.

It took a while but the Hornets are finally starting to receive more national media attention and that is thanks in large part to the play of Kemba. With his all-star level play, he is also attraction more attention from media members, casual fans, and fellow NBA players. It is long overdue but the respect towards Walker is better late than never.

Charlotte’s success can be directly linked to the outstanding performances by the 26-year point guard. Much like the team had to reinvent themselves to become legit playoff contenders, Walker had to improve his game every year and become a better player. Kemba is a completely different player than the one he was in his early years who was a sub-40% volume shooter that turned the ball over far too often.

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When the Hornets were struggling and Walker didn’t have a three-point shot just a few years ago, neither the team nor the player deserved much respect or attention. Since last season, Kemba has been on the up and up but media members failed to take notice in 2016. Now in the 2016-17 campaign, Bleacher Report, ESPN, The Ringer, etc. (basically everyone) has said something positive about Charlotte and their star point guard.

Rightfully so as Walker is averaging 23 points per game, 5.3 assists per game, and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 41.5% from three. Before, the only time you would hear about the team and Kemba was if something comical happened in one of their games. From a national perspective, the Hornets still don’t get enough attention but that can probably be said for a number of NBA teams.

The difference with Charlotte is that they have a legit star who has highlight plays on a nightly basis. The biggest difference from last season to this is that the media has finally acknowledged Walker as a legit all-star level player. A number of analysts and writers have named him as a potential first-time all-star. It still might not happen based on who he’s up against but at least there is conversation surrounding Kemba and the Hornets.

He is one of only 10 guards this season to average 21+ PPG and 5+ APG. The 6’1 point guard is the best pick and roll scorer in the league and he is one of only three point guards shooting over 45% from the field and over 40% from three while scoring over 21 PPG this season. There is no doubt in my mind that he has now reached the level of a top-10 point guard in the NBA and it seems as though more NBA analysists and media members are putting him in that category as well.

If you’ve roamed the internet or Twitter, specifically, then you’ve noticed the upward trend in articles involving Walker, tweets praising his crossovers, and media members mentioning him. This is no coincidence. Kemba is playing at a high level and his game has deserved more attention since last season. It finally appears like people are giving him the respect he deserves this year.

Next: Five Potential Mid-Season Trade Targets for Charlotte

It was a rough first few years with the Charlotte Hornets for Kemba but he has worked tirelessly on his game to be the all-star level player that he is today. Walker will continue to improve and get better as he enters the prime of his career. If the team continues to win games with their point guard carrying them, his fame will only rise and more respect will follow.

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