Celtics point guard Kemba Walker shoots during the team’s first practice Tuesday in Boston. Elise Amendola/Associated Press
BOSTON — As much as everyone around the Boston Celtics wants to move on, it’s going to take at least a little while to step out of the shadows of the Kyrie Irving era, especially for a guy stepping in to play his position.
Bringing in Kemba Walker would be a boon for most teams, and it is for the Celtics too, but his personality contrasts with Irving’s enough that the comparisons are unavoidable.
Irving didn’t clash with Brad Stevens, but he clearly had some issues along the way last season. Ironically, it was most clear when Irving disagreed with how Boston was defending Walker during a 30-5 Charlotte run in a huge comeback during a regular-season game.
At the Celtics first practice of the 2019-20 season, Walker struck a decidedly different tone.
“I’ve always felt that as a point guard I should have a relationship with my head coach,” he said. “Yeah, me and Brad, we’ve been talking a lot. We will. We have some things to grow with one another.”
Point guards are, indeed, extensions of the coach on the floor. They are the initiators of offenses. They either execute the plan, or freelance based on what they see. Point guards and coaches have to feel good about each other’s ability to call games and allow for variations as situations present themselves.
Walker is beginning that journey.
“That stuff just takes time, takes a lot of time,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to the growth between me and him.”
Walker has a lot to learn in a short time, both on and off the floor. Not only is he learning his coach and new teammates, he’s navigating entirely new surroundings.
“It’s just like, getting used to everybody around, how we operate and the structure of schedule in practice, what we do in film,” Stevens said. “There’s all these little things that are a little bit different everywhere you go. But the basketball stuff he picks up really quick. He’s obviously really smart but he’s also played forever and he’s played for a bunch of different coaches. So he’s ready to roll.”
There is more to this new opportunity for Walker. He’s well-respected around the league and his run at UConn has certainly made him very visible in Boston, but he’s not exactly a household name for casual fans.
For some, there may be a temptation to prove things to the masses. The higher visibility of playing for a legacy franchise like the Celtics could lead some players to play more to the spotlight than the overall team goals.
“Nah, I’ve never really cared. That kind of stuff doesn’t bother me,” Walker said. “I just try to go out and play basketball as best as I can. But I could care less about that stuff.”
It’s only the first session of the first day of his new season. Walker, his new teammates, and his new coach will have a long time to hammer out the finer points of their relationships. For now, Walker is happy to get to the task at hand.
“I think today was just kind of putting in a system. Defensively and I guess our core plays offensively as well, which went really well. I think I picked up things pretty well. Brad’s a great coach and a great teacher as well.”
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