Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker Can’t Break the Top-10 in MVP Race
A subpar week for Kemba Walker keeps the Charlotte Hornets’ all-star hopeful outside of the top-10 in the NBA’s MVP Ladder Rankings.
Sekou Smith’s weekly NBA MVP Ladder was released and Kemba Walker’s name was on the list once again. Unfortunately, the Charlotte Hornets‘ point guard was still outside of the top-10. It is the second straight week he’s been on the outside looking in after falling out of the top-10 a few weeks ago.
Kemba has worked hard to carry his team into contention in the Eastern Conference but his numbers did take a dip this past week. He is still being mentioned in the MVP ladder, although he is farther from the top than ever before this season. The 26-year old is still hopeful that he will be named an All-Star this season and his campaign for that is still going strong.
In the last week, Walker played in three games where the Charlotte Hornets went 2-1. He averaged 19.3 points per game, 5.0 assists per game, and 4.3 rebounds per game in those three outings. Kemba shot 44.8% (22-49) from the field and 33.3% (7-21) from the three-point line. While his numbers weren’t stellar, they were solid enough to keep him in the MVP conversation.
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Russell Westbrook moved up into the #1 spot after he and James Harden flipped spots. The Rockets’ star is now ranked #2 while 3-6 remained the same. The top-10 list was rounded out by LeBron James #3, Kevin Durant #4, Kawhi Leonard #5, Stephen Curry #6, Giannis Antetokounmpo #7, DeMar DeRozan #8, Jimmy Butler #9, and Isaiah Thomas #10.
Jimmy Butler and Isaiah Thomas both jumped Kemba as they moved into the top-10 after not being ranked last week. DeMarcus Cousins, Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, and Chris Paul each closed out the ladder alongside Walker as the next five just outside the top-10. The Hornets’ point guard could be in danger of dropping out of the top-15, which isn’t a big deal but having his name up there with the best is a respectful nod to the player.
While the MVP ladder is basically a two horse race between Russell Westbrook and James Harden, LeBron James is still making his presence felt this season. It is very unlikely that Kemba will reach the top of the list this season but his improvements have made him a guy that is now mentioned among the best point guards in the NBA. The rankings also speak to how well he’s playing and how well the team is doing as well.
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Kemba Walker has already started off the new week off pretty strong as far as his individual performance is concerned. As for the Charlotte Hornets, they have lost back to back games and that does not help his case. It will be interesting to see where he comes in on the Week 9 rankings.