Boston Celtics: 2 things fans should look out for during seeding games

No. 2) Kemba Walker’s minutes distribution

One of the biggest concerns for the Boston Celtics heading into the resumption of the NBA season is Kemba Walker’s health, specifically pertaining to his left knee. Frankly, its been a hard topic not to cover, and we’ve dipped our toes into said storyline on multiple occasions, with our tone becoming more and more concerned as the days go by.

Known as somewhat of an “Iron Man” for the majority of his career, Walker has missed numerous games (14) this season due to numerous ailments, most notably, however, due to his lingering knee injury that, in the final 14 games leading into the hiatus, sidelined him for all but four of them.

Now, with practices already underway in Orlando, reports are coming out about how the Cs are monitoring their franchise point guard’s ailments moving towards gameplay, and have gone as far as to keep him out of specific practices that are deemed as “hard”.

As for their plan once play resumes later this month, coach Brad Stevens believes they could pull back on his playing time at the beginning of the Disney games.

2019-20 has proven to be one of Walker’s best seasons in the NBA. Signing a lucrative 4-year, $141M contract this past offseason with the shamrocks, the point guard has played up to every expectation that comes with such a payday.

Through 50 games, Walker managed to notch himself his fourth consecutive All-Star selection, while averaging an impressive 21.2 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds on 42 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from deep.

Though it’s understood that Jayson Tatum is their lead dog, in order for Brad Stevens’ scheme to run properly it needs a specific level of play from its point guard. Through his first season in Beantown, a healthy Walker has proven to be exactly that.

Being that he, as well as all the other players in the league, have been sidelined for months on end, the upcoming scrimmage and seeding games will be a necessity for him to get back into the swing of things as Boston approaches the playoffs. Unfortunately, due to concerns over Walker’s knee, they’ll have to reel back on his minutes, at least in the beginning.

Being they’re already guaranteed a spot in the postseason, and with the fact that their supporting cast around him has proven capable of handling things while he’s sidelined, perhaps bestowing the All-NBA guard 20-25 minutes a night during the seeding games might be the best course of action, as they look to save his best for a run at banner number 18.