76ers doomed to make Lonnie Walker IV realization Celtics fans failed to see
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Philadelphia 76ers are signing Lonnie Walker IV to a two-year, $3 million contract, bringing him aboard mid-season amidst their dwindling playoff push. Walker spent the preseason and training camp with the Boston Celtics before signing overseas with Zalgiris Kaunas in the EuroLeague.
Reports swirled that the Celtics tried to trade Jaden Springer before the start of the year so they could retain Walker, but they were unwilling to sign him to their 15th roster spot (likely for financial reasons). Celtics fans were very unhappy, as they had come to like Walker and what he could bring to the table.
But those fans failed to see the potential downside to Walker, and that’s a realization Philadelphia may be doomed to learn.
Lonnie Walker IV is extremely streaky
Walker has been a solid bucket-getter throughout the course of his career. He played fairly well last season while with the Brooklyn Nets, and his three-point shooting numbers actually saw a significant improvement.
But he’s a very streaky shooter. He shot lights out for the first half of the season in Brooklyn, but in the second half, his numbers from distance fell off a cliff.
And so far this season in the EuroLeague, Walker has struggled with his efficiency. Through 19 EuroLeague games, Walker has shot just 38.7% from the field and 33.1% from behind the three-point line.
The 76ers could use an extra scorer on their roster as they continue to deal with injuries, but the streakiness of Walker is what Boston fans failed to see.
They fell in love with his ability to get buckets, but on the current Celtics roster, his style of play likely would have struggled to fit in.
Boston already has a well-established pecking order of scorers, all of whom share touches accordingly. Fitting in another guy who needs the ball in his hands to be at his best probably wasn’t going to work out well.
There’s a good chance that Walker find some success in Philadelphia as they could use some extra guys who are comfortable controlling the ball on offense, but that wouldn’t have been a great fit for the Celtics.
Now, the Sixers are doomed to come to the realization that Walker is simply a streaky scorer who can pop off for big nights from time to time. Celtics fans didn’t see that, but his entire NBA career and EuroLeague numbers show it.
