Kool Kemba

Tucked away in the Tar Heel State of North Carolina, the Charlotte Hornets are typically an afterthought. And there’s a good reason for it being that the Hornets have never made it past the second round of the NBA Playoffs while the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels are a part of the blue bloods of men’s college basketball as they occupy the majority of the fan base within the state. But there is a young man from New York City who is showing that he can hold his own on Tobacco Road.

After leading the Connecticut Huskies to a national title in 2011, point guard Kemba Walker was the ninth overall pick of the NBA Draft by the Hornets who were still referred to then as the Bobcats.

Things weren’t easy for Walker during his first go round in the NBA as Charlotte went 7-59 in his rookie season, and it wouldn’t get any easier him as the team went 21-61 in the following campaign. But in 2013, Steve Clifford was hired to be the new head coach in Charlotte and in his first year there, he guided the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. The Hornets would struggle last season and it appeared to be the same old buzz for them in Charlotte.

But with just six games in the NBA’s regular season, the Hornets find themselves in a battle with the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks for the Southeast Division Title which would be Charlotte’s first in franchise history as Walker has been a big part of that.

Kemba Walker

Walker is averaging 21.1 points per game this season which leads the team while it is also a career-high for him as you’re seeing the same aggression that made him a high-school basketball star in New York City while also starring at Connecticut. In all but four games this season Walker has scored at least 10 points with his best stretch coming in late January when he scored a career-high 52 points against the Utah Jazz and 40 points four days later against the Orlando Magic. And what makes matters better is that the Hornets were able to win each those contests.

When Walker entered the NBA, he was looked at as a tweener due to the fact that he had the scoring ability of a shooting guard, but the size of a point guard. However a huge credit goes to the Hornets organization for understanding who Walker is and not attempting to turn him into something that he isn’t which is why both the team and the player are currently having success.

Upon arriving at Connecticut, Walker was coming off of the bench for head basketball coach Jim Calhoun, but he provided the Huskies with instant offense which was a big part of them reaching the Final Four in 2009. And two years later, Walker was the center of attention as he carried the Huskies to a national title. The bottom line is that Walker is a scorer who has the ability to make those around him better and it is something that the Hornets are benefiting from this year.

If the NBA Playoffs were to begin today, the Hornets would be the sixth seed and they would face their division rival in the Hawks which is a very winnable series for Charlotte due to Walker’s play making ability. Walker likes playing on the big stage and the NBA Playoffs could be the opportunity for him to take a page from Hornets team owner Michael Jordan who knows a thing or two about lighting it up during the postseason as he won six NBA Titles as a player with the Chicago Bulls. But if Walker is able to carry the Hornets to a deep playoff run this spring, it will be exactly what the franchise needs to show their worth in a state that is basketball crazy.