Charlotte Hornets’ Kemba Walker Deserves Credit As Top 10 Point Guard

By Alex Passannante @Alex_NinerTimes on October 31, 2014

On Tuesday night, Kemba Walker rallied his Charlotte Hornets back from a 24-point deficit to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in an emotional and thrilling opening game. Before he played in the game, Walker received a lovely contract extension of $48 million over four years, ranking him 10th in the league for point-guard salaries. This extension puts him among the likes of Chris Paul, Deron Williams, John Wall, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook.

When talking about terms on the court, Walker is among the best in the league when it comes to scoring at the point guard position. He was ninth in the league last season in scoring at 17.7 points per game, 12th in the league in free throw percentage, 13th in the league in assists per game, fourth in minutes per game, 16th in steals per game, third in blocks per game, fifth in rebounds per game and 13th in total double-doubles.

Due to the lack of national exposure and a small market team in Charlotte, Walker may not have gotten the credit he deserved when it comes to being a top 10 point guard in the league. Now that he is being paid like a top 10 point guard, it’s time for people to realize that he is deserving of the recognition. Walker is among the new wave of talented point guards making a name in the league, and if he keeps playing anything like he did in the season opener, then people better watch out.

Against the Bucks on Tuesday, he drilled a 30-foot jumper to take the game into overtime, but that wasn’t all. In overtime, he splashed a step-back, incredibly-contested jumper to win the game and send Charlotte into a frenzy in an emotional night for the city. This is a point guard who has the heart of a lion and the confidence of a superstar. He did the same thing throughout the Big East Tournament and NCAA tournament while in college and is still doing it 600 miles south in the Queen City.