NBA All-Star League becomes a ‘flop’ Playing in Europe: Two points against Real Madrid – NBA

Kemba Walker shined with the Charlotte Hornets, but was a disappointment in Monaco

The 1.85-meter-tall Kemba Walker was chosen by the Celtics to replace Kyrie Irving, who was moving to Brooklyn. After eight seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, Walker finally landed on a team with bigger ambitions. On the North Carolina team, Walker was a captain and senior standout for eight years and was a four-time All-Star. But he was never fortunate enough to be surrounded by players of his caliber capable of taking the Bobcats/Hornets to new heights.

During his two seasons with the Boston Celtics, he began to suffer from knee problems and was traded two years later to the New York Knicks, but Pace’s stay in the Big Apple only lasted… 37 games. A year ago, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks, which was a shorter trip as he played only nine games. It was the end of Kemba Walker’s time in the NBA.

After 781 games in the NBA, the North American player headed to Europe and the Euroleague via Monaco, a qualified banner on the national scene (the current French national champion), but with a more modest journey in the Euroleague – he achieved third place in the competition last season, the best participation him at all.

Monaco’s budget is 27.5 million euros, which is a huge amount for the French championship, but it is far from the best teams like Barcelona or Real Madrid, whose budget is about 44 million euros. Only Kemba Walker’s salary four years ago is higher than the Principality team’s budget.

The arrival of the famous academy player to Monaco was more of a marketing ploy than a convinced commitment to increase the team’s sporting performance, but despite this, coach Sasa Obradovic should have expected a greater impact from the player at Monaco. In his eight EuroLeague games, Kemba posted top-secret numbers. He is averaging 3.6 points per game, 1 rebound and 1.4 assists, 30% shooting efficiency and 22% shooting efficiency from the three-point line.

Against Real Madrid, Monaco’s last defeat, Kemba made five three-point shots, but missed all of his shots. The match ended with two points in 12 minutes. Knee problems in recent years and growing concern about defense in Europe help explain the “eclipse” of a player who was once the biggest star on an NBA team.

By Rafael Godinho