As adversity hits Celtics, Kemba Walker remains a refreshing change from Kyrie Irving

The Celtics played one of their worst games of the year on Wednesday night. They lost to a bad Pistons team at home in what was their worst defensive performance (via FG percentage allowed) since 2006. The Celtics didn’t play disciplined but the Pistons also shot out of their minds, knocking down 60.3 percent of their attempts, the sixth-best shooting night in the entire NBA this year.

The effort wasn’t great by Boston but Brad Stevens wasn’t ripping his team after the game. Instead, it was a measured response by the head coach amid the dog days of January.

“Derrick Rose was tremendous tonight,” Stevens said. “I thought he was the best player on the court in terms of control of the game. He did a really good job and he’s had a really good year. Drummond hurt us a little bit in the paint and then the shooters were all really comfortable. I hand it to them. The transition ones, the cuts, the back cuts, those are ones we just can’t give up. Those are the ones I’m disappointed in tonight. Some of the shots, I thought were well contested. I have to tip my hat to them for making some of those.”

On a night where the four other teams directly below the C’s in the playoff standings all won, this is a loss that could hurt down the road when it comes to seeding. Boston tried to get away with winning one without Jayson Tatum (sore foot) heading into a back-to-back showdown against the Bucks on Thursday night. It was a calculated gamble that the C’s didn't pull off.

With four losses now in the team’s past six games, including three to sub .500 opponents, it’s fair to wonder where this team stands in the East hierarchy. However, after a tough night on both ends of the floor, Kemba Walker (7-of-19 FG, -15) was one guy in the Celtics locker room looking to take responsibility.

“I gotta watch the film,” Walker said when asked about the team's disappointing defense. “More upset about my individual play than anything right now, but it starts with me. I have to be better for my teammates.”

Walker later expanded on those comments when asked whether he is putting any extra pressure on himself to lead the team.

“No pressure, just have to be better,” the All-Star said. “I wouldn’t use the word pressure. Just as one of the leaders of the team, I just have to be more energized from the beginning of the game and just have my guys ready to go.”

Walker hasn’t had many duds all year long but he has shown a willingness to hold himself accountable for them. In contrast, take a peek at what Kyrie Irving had to say about his Nets teammates after a 6-of-21 shooting night in Philadelphia in his third game back from an extended absence.

“I mean, it’s transparent,” Irving told reporters in Philadelphia. “It’s out there. It’s glaring, in terms of the pieces that we need in order to be at that next level. I’m going to continue to reiterate it. We’re going to do the best with the guys that we have in our locker room now, and we’ll worry about all the other stuff, in terms of moving pieces and everything else, as an organization down the line in the summer. It’s just something that we signed up for.

“We knew what we were coming into at the beginning of this season. Guys were going down left and right. (Garrett Temple) is out, (DeAndre Jordan) just got hurt (with a dislocated finger on Wednesday), Wilson (Chandler) just came back (from a PED suspension). We've got complimentary young guys, as well, that have done a great job the last three years. Collectively, I feel like we have great pieces, but it's pretty glaring we need one more piece or two more pieces that will compliment myself, KD, DJ, GT (Garrett Temple), Spence, Caris (LeVert), and we'll see how that evolves.”

Now look at the Nets-Sixers box score and try not to laugh:



While the Nets clearly need more talent to compete, Irving failed to mention a number of key (younger) pieces of the roster in that rant including Joe Harris, Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince. Guys you could argue are better than some of the veteran pieces that Irving mentioned. Additionally, Irving is also the guy who was a team-worst -29 in an 11-point loss against the Sixers.

Alas, Irving is no longer the Celtics’ headache and comments like this show he’s learned nothing from his experience in Boston last year. Walker may not be the player that Irving is at his absolute best but his attitude makes it far easier for teammates to rally around him and with him. He holds himself to the fire as much as anyone else on the roster, which is why you can count on the Celtics playing their ass off on Thursday night in Milwaukee in response to this dud. It may not be enough for a win but it’s more than could be counted on from last year’s squad with Irving at the wheel.

So as the C’s face a few bumps in the road for the first time all year on a more frequent basis, Boston fans should take solace in the fact that there is no longer anyone in the Celtics locker room to fan the flames of turmoil or create a divide from within. Even when things don’t go well, Walker is a breath of fresh air for this franchise at the point guard and that should bode well for how this group bounces from off nights as we saw on Wednesday.