Charlotte Hornets franchise icon Kemba Walker recently appeared on The Woj Pod with ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, discussing a myriad of topics ranging from Walker’s time in Charlotte to his stint with the Boston Celtics and his relationship with Hornets owner Michael Jordan.
The podcast created a whirlwind of online discussion about the prospect of Walker returning to Charlotte to reunite with the Hornets. With the Hornets dealing with multiple injuries in their backcourt and in need of veteran leadership in the locker room, Walker would seem to be a good fit.
However, a Kemba Walker reunion is not in the best interest of either the Charlotte Hornets or of Kemba Walker himself.
Why a Kemba Walker reunion doesn’t make sense for the Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are a young team while Kemba Walker is an old player
As a 32-year-old veteran with 11 years of NBA basketball behind him, Kemba Walker is clearly past his prime. While there is value in veteran leadership, the needs that Walker could fulfill for Charlotte would come at the expense of giving opportunities to younger players with an eye towards the future.
The Hornets entered the 2022-23 season as the sixth-youngest team in the NBA, with an average age of 24.60 years old. Among their young players are LaMelo Ball (21), James Bouknight (22), Théo Maledon (21), and Bryce McGowens (20), who are all still developing and could become important pieces of Charlotte’s future.
Beyond the young guards, Charlotte also has a trio of older guards who still need minutes, including Dennis Smith Jr., Terry Rozier, and Cody Martin. Even if Walker can perform at a level deserving of minutes, he would still be vying for playing time alongside Ball, Smith Jr., and Rozier at the very least.
Kemba Walker doesn’t fill an on-court need for the Charlotte Hornets
Walker was capable of piling up points in bunches during his prime years, as evidenced by his 19 games of at least 40 points, including an epic 60-point performance during the 2018-19 season. While he is still capable of scoring, he cannot do so at the level that he once did.
Charlotte has not been a good offensive team this year, as their 108.7 points per game is the fifth-lowest mark in the league. However, with LaMelo Ball now healthy, that has already begun to change, as the Hornets scored 115 points in Ball’s first game of the year on Saturday night. The 115 points marks Charlotte’s third-highest mark in a non-overtime game this year and is their most points scored over the last eight games. While Walker is more than capable of coming into a game and knocking down shots, Charlotte’s offense figures to begin picking back up in the weeks to come now that Ball is back in the fold.
Contrarily, Charlotte has struggled on defense, ranking in the bottom half of the league in team defensive rating (19th), opponents’ field goal percentage (17th), and opponents’ points per game (19th). As a 6’0″ guard, Walker’s potential impact on the defensive end has always been limited, and it would be unfair to expect him to be the solution on that end of the court.
Why a Kemba Walker reunion doesn’t make sense for Kemba Walker
There are better situations for Kemba Walker than the Charlotte Hornets
Kemba Walker can still be a useful player for an NBA team in the correct situation. That NBA team is not the Hornets, and that situation is not in Charlotte.
Currently sitting at 3-11, the Hornets are currently tied with the Detroit Pistons for 14th in the Eastern Conference and are already 3.5 games out of the final play-in tournament spot, a gap that only figures to get larger as the season progresses. While the Hornets could theoretically bring in Walker in hopes of making a run at the play-in tournament, the end result would likely be a third consecutive play-in tournament exit and a seventh consecutive season without a playoff berth.
Walker would best fit in with a team that is in playoff contention and is looking for a scoring threat off the bench, rather than with a Charlotte squad whose postseason hopes are already on life support.
Kemba Walker doesn’t need to add to his legacy with the Charlotte Hornets
Kemba Walker is the greatest player in Charlotte Hornets franchise history. His individual accomplishments, the team’s success during his years, and his loyalty and attitude while with the team are all a part of why Walker is still revered by Hornets fans.
However, he is no longer the 23-year-old who led the Bobcats against LeBron James’ Miami Heat team in the 2014 playoffs. He is no longer the 25-year-old who led the Hornets to 48 wins and game 7 of the first round. He is no longer the 28-year-old who made the All-NBA Third Team and headlined the NBA All-Star Game when the event came to Charlotte in 2019.
In short, Walker is no longer the player he once was, and while a reunion would make for a good story, it would be best to remember Walker’s time with the Hornets fondly while also focusing on the present moment.