Kemba Walker made his statement to Tom Thibodeau and his basketball eulogists: Show me respect.
The COVID-19 chaos provided Kemba Walker another opportunity and he took advantage while scoring a season-high 29 points before going cold in the fourth quarter Saturday as the Knicks lost to the Celtics, 114-107.
With six Knicks unavailable due to positive tests – and with fill-in starter Derrick Rose out because of an ankle injury – Walker broke his coach-imposed DNP streak by starting at point guard.
He logged 37 minutes carried the Knicks in a spirited third-quarter run, when they turned a 15-point deficit to a three-point lead over just six minutes. But then Walker went scoreless in the fourth quarter and was benched for the final 90 seconds, when Boston’s Richardson buried New York with a three-pointer. Evan Fournier scored 32 points for the Knicks in 43 minutes, while Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Richardson combined for 75 points for the Celtics (15-15).
Walker, the four-time All-Star, was removed from the rotation nearly three weeks ago by Thibodeau, who basically declared the four-time All-Star wouldn’t play if he’s not starting.
The move made statistical sense since the Knicks were outscored by an astounding 122 points with Walker on the court prior to Saturday, but his absence only seemed to exacerbate the problems. The Knicks went 2-7 after Walker’s official demotion, with the starting lineup failing to gel behind Julius Randle.
On Saturday, the Knicks (13-17) hung around despite Julius Randle again struggling while missing 13 of his 19 shots, and the defense allowing Boston to score 62 points in the first half. The circumstances weren’t ideal with COVID-19 spreading through the Knicks like Barry Sanders. They had only nine players available, with Miles McBride becoming the latest to enter COVID-19 protocols Saturday.
The Knicks used their hardship exemption to sign Tyler Hall, a guard most recently in the G League with Westchester. Hall, 24, who was undrafted out of Montana State in 2019, logged a DNP as Thibodeau used an eight-man rotation. Hall’s with the Knicks on a 10-day deal, meaning he’s eligible for four games ending on Christmas (assuming no games are postponed).
McBride, fresh off a breakout performance Thursday in Houston, became the sixth Knicks player currently in COVID-19 protocols. The outbreak has disproportionately affected the youngsters: McBride (21 years old) RJ Barrett (21), Obi Toppin (23), Quentin Grimes (21), Kevin Knox (22) and Immanuel Quickley (22). Interestingly, five of those six players entered protocols the day after registering a season-high in points.
Walker’s return coincidentally arrived against his former team, which had traded the four-time All-Star in the summer as a salary dump. Walker was billed in Boston as Kyrie Irving’s comparable replacement, but knee pain derailed his final season. It led to the Knicks inking the Bronx-born Walker on a two-year, $18 million deal to return home as the starting point guard.
He lost that position very quickly but gave Thibodeau something to reconsider Saturday.
