Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker Needs Yet Another Improbable Run in March
The only way that the Charlotte Hornets will make the playoffs this season is if Kemba Walker goes on another March Madness type run.
Kemba Walker rose to stardom during his time at the University of Connecticut when he led the Huskies on an incredible March Madness run to a National Championship back in 2011. That incredible story pushed him to be a top pick and for the Charlotte Hornets to select him ninth overall in the first round of the draft that year.
Six years later, the Hornets now need Walker to lead yet another incredible run in March to help them make a late push towards the postseason. While Kemba has been by far their best player this season and he is on a tear after the all-star break, they still need more. While they can’t ask for more from their point guard, the Bronx native can help push his teammates.
Charlotte needs everyone, not only Kemba, to step up during the final stretch of the season. They are on the outside looking in of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference but by only being a few games back of the eighth seed, the Hornets could make a late run to push themselves into the postseason.
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We can all remember Walker’s shot in the Big East tournament that gave him the moniker of “Cardiac Kemba.” The first time All-Star has led the Hornets to an estimated 6.9 wins this season which is a team-high. Watching Charlotte this season, it is clear that he is not only their best player but their main source of scoring and playmaking. In a down year with not many consistent contributors, Kemba has been the one constant for them.
It won’t be easy but there is still an outside chance that the Hornets could go on a winning streak and sneak their way into the playoffs. Having little to no chance isn’t something new for Kemba. He led UCONN to the Big East Championship where they became the first team to win five games in five days to earn a conference title. Walker scored 130 points during the course of those five games which is the most in Big East Tournament history and the most points scored in any conference tournament in the past 15 years.
Not only that but he then led the third-seeded Huskies to a NCAA title with a win over Butler in the National Championship Game. Kemba scored a game-high 16 points to complete an unbelievable college season.
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Coming full circle, Walker will now need to lead yet another improbable run in March to help the Charlotte Hornets make the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The 26-year old has a history of doing just that in the past so it isn’t out of the question. Kemba will attempt to save the season for his team and at this point, he is their last hope but his teammates will also need to step up as well.