Kemba Walker downplays knee issue in Orlando: 'I'm trending upwards'

Playing it slow with injuries is largely a foreign concept for Kemba Walker. The All-Star guard missed a total of six games over his final four seasons in Charlotte before signing a four-year max contract with the Celtics last summer. That hard-hat mentality for his former team that needed him on the floor every night to have a chance at winning won him plenty of fans around the league for grinding it out every night.

However, that mindset may have come back to bite him in Boston over the course of this season so far. He returned quickly on three different occasions during the 2019-20 season after experiencing knee pain and struggled in all of those returns before the season was suspended on March 11th. With pain popping up again at the start of training camp in the Orlando bubble, Walker is adjusting to a new reality that the team is prioritizing: protecting him from experiencing more setbacks.

“It's definitely pretty frustrating,” Walker admitted of his condition. “Just because I'm not a guy who misses many games, especially throughout the course of my career.”

Walker went throughout most of the season layoff without issues in the surgically repaired knee but starting to experience issues again when returning to Boston for individual ramped up workouts.

“It was definitely a pain,” Walker said of what he felt. “I can’t really explain it, but it was a pain on the side of my knee that was bothering me. I don’t know how much else I can say. Throughout my career, I haven’t missed many games, and I’ve been able to play through a lot. It was bothering me, so that was the best choice for me to make, was to sit out. Like I said, this is not normal for me, being out like this, but the smart way to go about things because I want to be at my best for my teammates and this organization when the regular season comes around and most definitely in the playoffs.”

The All-Star point guard has always been optimistic about his health in Boston so it’s not a surprise to hear him downplay any of the concerns.

“I’m not really concerned much, honestly, because I'm trending upwards and I'm getting better and I'm getting closer to a return. So, yeah, I'm fine. And I'll be back better than ever, I think,” Walker said.

Whether that happens or not remains to be seen but Walker buying into the Celtics plan here is an important shift from last season. After watching his own play be more of a net negative to the Celtics team in February and March (10 straight games shooting sub 40 percent), he knows playing through the pain won’t necessarily be the best option for a franchise during random regular-season matchups. That left Jayson Tatum carrying the team to wins during a brutal stretch of the schedule in February.

“Since he's been killing it the way he's been, I haven't really been able to help out like I really wanted to,” Walker admitted. “I’m definitely looking forward to coming back and making an impact on my teammates and just being readier than I was before the season ended.”

Making that impact now will require patience and discipline from Walker and the team. Walker needs to remain candid and honest with team doctors about he’s feeling instead of grinding out games like the ironman he’s been throughout his career. Short minutes in seeding games will be a requirement as well and will need to be stuck to by the coaching and training staff, avoiding potential pitfalls like letting minutes get run up in overtime games (Walker’s 45 minutes during C’s double OT win on Feb. 13 led to five games missed).

On paper, Walker is still in his prime but he needs to be treated like Al Horford or Kevin Garnett at the tail end of his career until he shows he can sustain a productive stretch. One setback now could knock out the C’s title chances in the bubble for good and potentially next season as well if surgery is required.

“The plan is to take things pretty slow,” Walker said. “That's really it. I'm feeling really good right now but I don't want to have any setbacks or anything like that. Just taking it slow. I'll be back in time when things get real, for sure.”

With the playoffs not beginning until Aug. 15, don’t plan on seeing much of Walker before then. For better or worse, it’s the best chance the Celtics have of making any real noise in the East.