Robb: Kemba Walker, Celtics are ready to play pivotal long game with his knee issue

Kemba Walker never truly indicated how poorly his knee felt in the Orlando bubble back in the playoffs but his numbers on the floor did the talking. His consistency was spotty, his efficiency was up-and-down and the team was forced to reduce his minutes as the postseason wore on.

“I try not to make any excuses, to be real with you,” Walker said. “I played through it, I was able to get through it, I had a great time with my teammates. Unfortunately, it didn't end like we wanted it to. But we battled. I thought I battled as best as I can, to tell you the truth. But it was tough. But now, I'm looking to just get better and contribute to this team like I know I can.”

The plan to get the knee healthy after a disjointed 2019-20 season started in October as Walker visited multiple doctors to get to figure out a proper treatment.

“I met with about two, to tell you the truth,” Walker said Wednesday. “The goal was to kind of get to the bottom of things for the most part. Just pretty much to see — just figure out what would help me to get back to who I am as a player.”

With both doctors believing no surgery was necessary, the decision was made for a stem cell injection where cells are taken from the hip and injected into the knee. Walker is hopeful that injection along with a proper rest and strengthening regime in the coming weeks and months will allow him to return to All-Star form.

“It's supposed to help me,” Walker said of the injection. “A lot of good stuff for the knee. I just went into it. I trust the doctors. I trust the people that’s helping me. It was the best way to go. It’s definitely calmed my knee down a lot, to tell you the truth. I'm feeling really good right now. Just like I said, just taking my time and trying to continue to feel good and get stronger.”

The ‘taking my time’ line is something that the Celtics and Walker will be prioritizing more than ever during the 2020-21 season. There is no guarantee that the stem cell injection will take care of the recurring knee pain but it’s evident in Orlando that the Celtics may have pushed things a little bit too quickly in a condensed bubble timeline once Walker’s knee issues popped up again in July as a second training camp began. He struggled to remain consistent once the big minutes arrived in the playoffs.

Especially after Gordon Hayward went down in Game 1 with an ankle injury, the Celtics didn’t have much of an option to baby Walker once the Raptors series got going, given the lack of reliable depth on the bench. This time around, the roster is setup better to withstand a lengthy absence from their All-Star guard, something Walker is preparing for as the regular season approaches.

“There's no rush on my end,” Walker said. “I'm coming back when I need to come back, and when I'm feeling good to play. So that's it. This is, I haven't really been a guy who has been hurt over the course of my career. So, this sucks, but I also love the game of basketball, and I want to play at a high level in front of the fans who come to watch this game. So I want to be at my best. The last time in the playoffs, I wasn't at my best, and that sucked. I don't want to be that way no more.”

To combat that scenario, veteran Jeff Teague has been signed to backup Walker and the Celtics drafted Payton Pritchard to compete with Tremont Waters for backup minutes while Walker is out. If Waters and Pritchard aren’t impressive in camp, Marcus Smart could simply handle point guard duties with Teague for the majority of 48 minutes instead of playing more on the wing. It’s not a perfect combination but it should help the Celtics stay afloat in the top half of the East playoff race as long as a former All-Star in Teague has something left in the tank.

“I’m excited to have Jeff,” Walker said. “To have Jeff, after losing Brad (Wanamaker), to bring in Jeff is huge. He’s a guy who’s been around. He knows what it takes to win games in this league. Me and him, personally, have had a lot of battles over the years, especially when I first started to thrive in the league, he was really at his best. I’m excited to be his teammate, still learn from him as well, because he is a little bit older than me and he’s been around longer than me. I’m excited.”

With Hayward gone now, the Celtics aren’t going to get far in the Eastern Conference playoffs without Walker playing close to his best basketball. They found out last season that a limited Walker wasn’t good enough in that spot and the road will only be getting tougher in a healthier East this season.

With that in mind, the long game is ready to be played here by all parties. Even when he’s back on the floor, Walker’s minutes should be managed, back-to-backs probably shouldn’t happen and any other potential pitfalls (like playing big minutes in an All-Star game) should be avoided by both Walker and the Celtics. With that, the team will get a better indication of where things stand with the 30-year-old point guard's health over the long-term.

The hope is the extended rest and strengthening with the injection take care of the issue and brings Walker back to where he wants to be by the time the postseason rolls around. If not, tough choices lie ahead for the front office as they determine how to best build a contender with limited remaining resources and an uncertain future for Walker’s health.