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Draft Profile: Kemba Walker

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  • There is a reason Kemba is in the mix as a top six pick.
    Jose or Kemba? Why not Kemba.

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    • So his argument is that Walker is holder than knight, so walker is going to be a bust?

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      • People respect Kemba Walker for many reasons:
        • He will be one of the fastest guards in the NBA
        • He is athletic.
        • He values defense and works hard on it.
        • He has a strong work ethic.
        • He has a high basketball IQ.
        • He protects the ball and has a strong assist to turnover ratio when compared to many PG's taken high in recent years.
        • He can break down defenses at will.
        • He's a proven leader.
        • He's a winner.
        • He exudes confidence and has that swagger the Raptors so desperately need.
        • He puts a high emphasis on setting goals and to date he's accomplished them.
        • The Raptors need talent at every position and he's likely to be the most talented player available at #5.
        • 21 years of age is young for the draft still. For example Dwayne Wade entered at 23. For an example closer to home, Vince Carter entered at 22.
        • He is a very positive presence on the court.
        • There were many cases last season where he picked up his game, rising to the challenge and carrying his team.
        • He respects his coaching staff and follows their plan.
        • His shot can be easily fixed given the resources of a pro basketball team, his strong work ethic and desire for excellence.


        I would like to go on to say that right now Kemba Walker is a lot better than Brandon Knight. Knight is valued more by some because of his bigger size and his younger age.

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        • aaahhh...not sure if you know how to read those results.

          Kemba tested in the top half in all those results except bench press.
          He's not going to jump as high as a tall wing player but look at his calculated vertical.
          Two of those numbers calculate the highest point he can touch while the third
          is his actual vert number (how high his feet go off the ground)

          Secondly, people are high on Kemba's intangibles -- his leadership skills, as much as his technical skills and potential. Yes someone like Knight has more upside but he isn't as well spoken, and no one knows for sure if he can be the leader Kemba is.

          It doesn't hurt that he's actually taller than originally reported.

          Not everyone here is madly in love with the guy, but Kemba's intangibles have to be respected.

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          • He has a lot of poise for a guy his age. Very calm, collected. It's his personality that has me the most intrigued.

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            • blackjitsu wrote: View Post
              Secondly, people are high on Kemba's intangibles -- his leadership skills, as much as his technical skills and potential. Yes someone like Knight has more upside but he isn't as well spoken, and no one knows for sure if he can be the leader Kemba is.
              Yes, he has the "something", you can just feel it. He would come into Toronto from day one and set the tone on offense and, I am hoping, on perimeter defense. Kemba doesn't need to be big and strong at the point. He has good lateral quickness and foot speed. Rajon Rondo is no bigger than Walker and he's arguably the best defensive PG in the league. Walker's strong positive personality would help a lot in a locker room that I feel is full of sheep.

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              • This is just a wild guess but maybe it is because he won something like a gazillion playoff games in a row to win both his conference and march madness. But why would Raptor fans value winning, and especially a winning point guard? I am not entirely sold on Walker but surely you should be a little more thoughtful about the question you pose.

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                • I'm not a big Kemba Walker fan for reasons I've already gone into several times, but I'd never say he would be a wasted pick. I'm also open to the possibility that he might end up being a very good pro since he doesn't seem to have any fatal flaws in his game. The questions I have about his game are simply that. Questions. They are reasons I wouldn't personally choose him, really there are questions about all the picks.
                  Read my blog, The Picket Fence. Guaranteed to make you think or your money back!
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                  • Those aren't poor results, he's extremely athletic and quick, he had among the highest vertical out of all the participants. Maybe he doesn't have some of the god-given physical tools like reach, but he has every reason to be high on the Raptors draft board. Plus he's a character guy, you always want a character guy on your team, and outside of that, he can flat out play. Is he a wasted pick? Absolutely not. Are there better options? Sure, there might be, and that mostly depends on what's available. Kemba Walker will be a very solid pro in this league..

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                    • ------Max Vert------
                      Kemba - 39.5"
                      D-Rose - 40"

                      ---3/4 Court Sprint---
                      Kemba - 3.16 sec
                      D-Rose - 3.05 sec

                      -----Lane Agility-----
                      Kemba - 10.87 sec
                      D-Rose - 11.69 sec

                      Anyone who tries to tell you that Kemba Walker is not an elite athlete is barfing up Cheerios.

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                      • Also, about his jump shot... obviously he's not a great long-range shooter yet, but his mid-range shot is so good (10x better than DeMar) that I'll be shocked if he's not hitting 3-pointers consistently by his second year in the league.

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                        • I will admit that I do think there are probably better NBA point guards in this draft they may not be better off the bat but 2 -3 years down the line maybe. What does impress me about kemba is that despite all the question marks in his game he managed to win the Maui tournament, big east tournament, and NCAA tournament all in the same year with himself being the only elite player on his team. That is fucking impressive, no one not even knight with his "elite defense" could stop him.

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                          • bballnut27 wrote: View Post
                            Hes quick, he can shoot, he can drive, he is not a bad defender, and he is an amazing leader.
                            Only thing questionable is his height, but Rondo is the same height, and he is an elite player.
                            Why do you not like Walker?
                            This reply is in no way meant to support the opening post. But re the Rondo comparison, one of the reasons RR is so good defensively (steals) and getting shots to drop at the rim is his ridiculous wingspan (6'9-10") vs. Walker's 6'3" which is considered "normal".

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                            • Apollo wrote: View Post
                              People respect Kemba Walker for many reasons:
                              • He will be one of the fastest guards in the NBA
                              • He is athletic.
                              • He values defense and works hard on it.
                              • He has a strong work ethic.
                              • He has a high basketball IQ.
                              • He protects the ball and has a strong assist to turnover ratio when compared to many PG's taken high in recent years.
                              • He can break down defenses at will.
                              • He's a proven leader.
                              • He's a winner.
                              • He exudes confidence and has that swagger the Raptors so desperately need.
                              • He puts a high emphasis on setting goals and to date he's accomplished them.
                              • The Raptors need talent at every position and he's likely to be the most talented player available at #5.
                              • 21 years of age is young for the draft still. For example Dwayne Wade entered at 23. For an example closer to home, Vince Carter entered at 22.
                              • He is a very positive presence on the court.
                              • There were many cases last season where he picked up his game, rising to the challenge and carrying his team.
                              • He respects his coaching staff and follows their plan.
                              • His shot can be easily fixed given the resources of a pro basketball team, his strong work ethic and desire for excellence.


                              I would like to go on to say that right now Kemba Walker is a lot better than Brandon Knight. Knight is valued more by some because of his bigger size and his younger age.

                              Dwayne Wade was born in 1982 and he entered the draft after his junior year at Marquette in 2003. I don't know how you came up with 23 years old. He was 21 in his draft year. Vince Carter was born in 1977, and got drafted in 1998, also making him 21 at the time. Where did you get your numbers???

                              And yes, Kemba Walker, as of now, is a better basketball player than Brandon Knight. But when Kemba Walker was a freshman, his numbers were 8.9ppg 2.9apg 1.8to and 1.1 stl.
                              Brandon Knight as a freshman averaged 17.3ppg 4.2apg 3.2to and 0.7stl. Walker averaged his numbers this year against players who are younger and much earlier in their learning curves, or against older players that likely won't ever make it to the NBA. Brandon Knight averaged his numbers against fellow freshman or players who are further along in their development.

                              I'm not a huge fan of Brandon Knight (I would love to get Myck Kabongo in next years draft!), but his numbers are ridiculous compared to Kemba Walker in their freshman years. What would he average in his junior year? We'll never know of course, but I think that age is a very valid reason that Brandon Knight is rated higher.

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                              • Kreza23 wrote: View Post
                                And yes, Kemba Walker, as of now, is a better basketball player than Brandon Knight. But when Kemba Walker was a freshman, his numbers were 8.9ppg 2.9apg 1.8to and 1.1 stl.
                                Brandon Knight as a freshman averaged 17.3ppg 4.2apg 3.2to and 0.7stl. Walker averaged his numbers this year against players who are younger and much earlier in their learning curves, or against older players that likely won't ever make it to the NBA. Brandon Knight averaged his numbers against fellow freshman or players who are further along in their development.

                                I'm not a huge fan of Brandon Knight (I would love to get Myck Kabongo in next years draft!), but his numbers are ridiculous compared to Kemba Walker in their freshman years. What would he average in his junior year? We'll never know of course, but I think that age is a very valid reason that Brandon Knight is rated higher.
                                What does it matter what a player's stats were in their freshman season? In Tim Duncan's freshman season, he only averaged 9 ppg, despite playing 30 mpg. Michael Jordan only averaged 13 ppg in his freshman season. Rajon Rondo only averaged 8.1 ppg and 3.5 apg in his freshman season, which is a lot worse than Jerryd Bayless' freshman season, where he averaged 19.7 ppg and 4 apg. Which one is the better pro? You've got to get off this line of thought because it's not a valid way to judge how good a pro someone is going to be.
                                Read my blog, The Picket Fence. Guaranteed to make you think or your money back!
                                Follow me on Twitter.

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