The Charlotte Hornets’ All-Star point guard is set to undergo surgery on his left knee for the third consecutive year.
The Charlotte Hornets have announced that “Kemba Walker underwent a successful minor arthroscopic procedure on his left knee.” (NBA.com) This procedure will keep him out for about six weeks but he should return by July. Luckily, the surgery isn’t to repair a torn ligament so that is why it is considered to be minor.
According to Chris Kroeger, this surgery is “More precautionary on Kemba’s part. Just wanted to have some maintenance work done just like last year.” Even though it is a minor procedure, the fact that he is undergoing surgery on his left knee for the third straight year is a bit concerning. Although, it is positive that he will recover before the start of next season.
In January of 2015, Walker underwent surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus. Last summer, he had another surgery on his left knee to repair yet another torn meniscus. This time around, nothing is torn and the recovery time will be a lot shorter because they are simply cleaning up his knee.
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Late in the 2016-17 regular season, Kemba did suffer a knee injury but it is unclear if that ailment led to this surgery. He injured his left knee and sat out the final two games of the season with what the team called “left knee soreness.” Even if the injury wasn’t serious, the Hornets didn’t want to put their star point guard through any more wear and tear for the last couple of games.
The 27-year old is coming off of a career-best season where he averaged 23.2 points per game, 5.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 44.4% from the field and 39.9% from three. He played and started in 79 total games and averaged a team-high 34.7 minutes per game. Walker carried Charlotte for most of the season so his body probably suffered quite a few bumps and bruises.
Since the Hornets didn’t make the playoffs this year, it will give Kemba more to rest and recover. After the season ended, he said that missing out on the postseason “gives us a chance to get some rest and get our minds right, let our bodies unwind a little bit. These NBA seasons are such a grind, it really takes a toll on your body. So, to be able to get a chance to relax is going to be a good thing for everyone.” (NBA.com)
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Hopefully, Walker has a speedy recovery. He will surely be looking to make improvements to his game this summer and be ready for next season as Charlotte will be looking to get back into the playoffs.