NY Knicks: Grading New York’s 2021 Free Agency Class

NY Knicks Free agency Grade for Kemba Walker signing – A

Kemba Walker, the former ninth overall pick, has been a walking bucket since he entered the league in 2011 and is exactly what the Knicks needed.

The Bronx native was bought out by the Boston Celtics and upon hitting the open buyout market, ultimately chose his hometown on a two-year deal worth 17.8 million per Spotrac.

Kemba has had significant success at Madison Square Garden, dating back to his phenomenal performance in the Big East Tournament, including a game-winning shot that electrified the building.

Walker, excluding his rookie season, averages 20.4 points per game in nine seasons according to Basketball Reference.

The 31-year-old may have lost some of the explosiveness and speed that he once had but is a lethal three-point shooter and can still facilitate at a high level.

His loss of speed and explosiveness will not affect the Knicks as much as many may think. The Knicks do not run transition offense very often, as they were one of the slowest teams in the league in terms of pacing of play under coach Thibodeau.

While Walker is often viewed as a liability defensively, which could be problematic in Thibs’ system, the Knicks have enough talent around him defensively to still have a great defensive unit while improving massively offensively.

Ultimately, the Knicks’ offensive woes last season came when Elfrid Payton was on the court, which is why replacing him with a point guard with the scoring pedigree of Kemba Walker is a huge win.