Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker Out Against Boston Celtics
Charlotte Hornets starting point guard Kemba Walker will miss Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics due to personal reasons.
The Charlotte Hornets have struggled as of late losing their last three contests. After a 109-106 loss to the Washington Wizards, a lot of questions are being raised about how good the Hornets really are. The schedule will get tough over the next few games and everyone will have to start playing better.
Charlotte plays against the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks, two really good Eastern Conference teams next. However, the Hornets biggest star won’t be available for Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics.
Kemba Walker will miss the next game due to a personal issue as Hornets insider Rick Bonnell first reported. This will certainly not help the Hornets chances tomorrow night as the Celtics are very talented. They will likely be getting Isaiah Thomas back from a groin injury that has sidelined him for the last four games.
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As for the Hornets, Ramon Sessions is likely to start for the team in Kemba’s absence. Brian Roberts could see minutes with the second unit since Sessions would start in Kemba’s place.
While Kemba Walker has been dinged up, this absence has nothing to do with an injury, so that is good news. The team must be ready to play hard against a really good Celtics team tomorrow in Boston. Ramon Sessions is capable of running the offense, but who will make up for Kemba’s scoring?
Jeremy Lamb and Marco Belinelli will have to pick up the scoring for the bench. Also, Nic Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist must be able to put the ball in the basket. Aggressiveness from Batum hasn’t been seen as much so far this season.
Things haven’t been easy as of late with Kemba Walker so they aren’t going to get any easier without him. It will be difficult for the team to put an end to their current three-game losing streak, especially on the road.
Overall, it will be a tough task to beat the Celtics on the road without the team’s best scoring threat. Steve Clifford must game plan really well if the Hornets want a chance of winning this game. With the Hornets reeling from the last three games, the team needs to respond in a big way. The team must rebound and play excellent defense against a very gritty and efficient Celtics team tomorrow night. Only time will tell if they can respond to adversity.
