Kemba Walker
Let’s stay in the backcourt, shall we? If the Jazz truly want to swing for the fences and add an absolute star into their mix that would be a massive upgrade over Ricky Rubio, and pretty much every point guard they’ve had since Deron Williams for that matter, they should go extremely hard after Kemba Walker. Walker was an All-Star starter in the East and for good reason. He’s had an insane season where he’s absolutely carried the Charlotte Hornets on his back and has come up big time after time in the clutch.
Walker is averaging a big-time 25.1 points per game to go along with nearly six assists. Yes, his three-point shooting is down somewhat this year, but a lot of that has to do with the immense load he’s forced to carry and the fact that he’s not always able to get the cleanest looks due to some of the circumstances he’s put in. He’s heaving an alarming 9.1 threes per game.
In Utah’s offense and paired alongside another dangerous scorer in Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz would suddenly boast one of the most dangerous backcourts in the West. Both would space the floor, be able to create but also facilitate and have the uncanny athleticism to make them dangerous in practically any situation. Honestly, I start to salivate any time I picture these two running the floor alongside one another.
Of course there are a few concerns with Kemba, one of which being his size and in turn his defense. He’s not known as a lock-down defender, which obviously wouldn’t fly in Quin Snyder’s system. Then again, Ricky Rubio has been far from reliable on that end this year, and I believe Kemba could be at least as serviceable as him while being an immense upgrade on offense.
Lastly, there’s the question of whether or not Walker would truly leave Charlotte. He’s expressed nothing but loyalty up until now and has shown a deep connection with the team. However, as we near the end of the season and as the Hornets’ woes worsen, rumors are starting to seep out that Kemba may be more likely to leave than stay.
I still don’t know if I buy that just yet, but if more evidence surfaces and the Jazz have even a minuscule chance of landing him, they have to go for it. Getting a star of Kemba’s caliber to join their ranks would be an all-time great accomplishment for the franchise and could set up a dynamic backcourt that would cause opposing squads to shake with fear.