By Sam Perley, hornets.com
It’s a question that continues to be debated throughout sports on all different levels- what makes a competitor clutch? Is it simply based on results? Is it an attitude? Is it all about experience? When analyzing Hornets point guard, Kemba Walker, and his basketball resume, it might be difficult to pinpoint just one single reason why he’s been so reliable in Charlotte.
Over the course of the 2015-16 NBA campaign, Walker has proven himself to be one of the best in the league when the game is on the line. He currently leads all players with 79 points scored on 44.7 percent shooting in the last two minutes of the final quarter and/or overtime when the margin is within four points. Among other NBA leaders in this category are Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (70), Cleveland’s LeBron James (65) and Golden State’s Stephen Curry (64).
As many Hornets fans know, this isn’t just a single-season trend for Walker. Since he entered the league in 2011, he has scored the fifth-most points (232) in this aforementioned category behind only Durant (298), James (287), Indiana’s Monta Ellis (274) and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul (272).
Even during his college days at Connecticut, Walker had a flare for the dramatic. One of the signature shots of his career took place in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big East Tournament. Tied with Pittsburgh in the closing seconds, Walker knocked down his trademark step-back jumper as time expired to seal an upset win over the third-ranked Panthers. Kemba’s buzzer- beater ultimately ended up being a defining moment in UConn’s unexpected run to the NCAA Championship that year.
Kemba also helped usher in the new Hornets era with two memorable last-second shots on Opening Night in 2014- a three-pointer to force overtime and then a game-winning jumper eerily reminiscent of his one against Pittsburgh- to complete a stunning 24-point comeback over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Results like these don’t necessarily come without the proper mental makeup, which not every player may possess. After his game-winning layup against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 26, Walker was asked by Hornets radio broadcaster, Steve Martin, what the thought process is behind his late-game heroics.
“I just want to make plays,” said Walker simply. “I love those kind of moments. I just get a feeling that everybody is counting on me. Everybody knows that I love to be in those situations. Even my teammates come to me and say ‘It’s winning time.’ They give me the basketball and I just try my best to make plays.”
The mentality Walker is alluding to can be a mixture of a number of components within the human body. The rush of adrenaline in the final seconds of a tight game plus a hyper-competitive focus can be a predictably addicting feeling for some athletes. To what extent these traits are inherent or developed over time remains a debate. Some players thrive on the big stage while some may falter. An athlete’s ability to recognize his abilities and limitations in late-game situations can also be just as important as the end result itself.
Having the proper amount of opportunities to capitalize on these tight situations can also have an impact on defining a player’s “clutchness.” During Walker’s rookie year in 2011-12, Charlotte won just seven total games in a lockout-shortened season, providing scarce chances to hit any sort of meaningful last-second shot. Exposure and experience both play a substantial role in helping develop one’s effectiveness in close games. Ultimately though, a player has to want to immerse himself in these kind of scenarios.
Not every game-winning shot will go in but fans will be hard-pressed to ever see Walker shy away from the opportunity to make a big play with the game on the line. While the league continues to rely more and more on analytics and statistical data to define players, there will always be intangible characteristics like those Walker possesses that will likely never be quantifiable regardless of how advanced basketball metrics might someday become.
(Statistics courtesy of Charlotte Hornets Public Relations and current as of Feb. 29, 2015).
Key Matchup vs. Suns: Marvin Williams vs. Mirza Teletovic
For the first time in over three weeks, Marvin Williams and the Hornets will be back in Charlotte as they play host to Mirza Teletovic and the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night… Williams is fresh off an impressive month with averages of 14.8 points on 51.0 percent shooting (46.3 percent from three-point range), 7.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 10 total games played… Charlotte will need to see some more of February’s Williams in March when he goes up against one of the few bright spots for the Suns this season in Teletovic… The 30-year-old from Bosnia and Herzegovina is putting up an even 20.0 points on 50.7 percent shooting (42.9 percent from three-point range) in his last five games for Phoenix and also notched a team-high 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a win against Charlotte on Jan. 6… Shutting down the pesky Teletovic will be imperative if Williams and the Hornets want to pull out a win against the Suns at Time Warner Cable Arena on Tuesday night.
Key Matchup vs. 76ers: Kemba Walker vs. Ish Smith
Charlotte will hit the road once more before a long seven-game homestand as Kemba Walker and the Hornets head to Philadelphia to do battle with Ish Smith and the 76ers… Walker firmly put himself into the conversion for Eastern Conference Player of the Month after averaging 22.4 points on 43.5 percent shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists during nine February games for Charlotte… The Hornets will need some more dominant play from their star point guard when they head north to take on the much-improved Ish Smith and the 76ers… A native of Charlotte, NC, Smith was traded back to the 76ers in December after leaving the team last offseason and has seen his numbers explode with averages of 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists during his second go-around in Philadelphia… Despite the 76ers’ last-place record in the Eastern Conference, Walker and the Hornets will still look to avoid getting caught off guard at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night in Philadelphia.