The 2022-23 NBA season has had many twists and turns for the Dallas Mavericks, who are clinging to a .500 record at 34-34 ahead of Monday night's important matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Along the way, veteran point guard Kemba walker was a part of this year's Mavs journey. Dallas signed Walker on Nov. 28, but then waived him a little over a month later on Jan. 6 after he had been experiencing knee issues.
The 32-year-old free agent is still trying to work his way back into the league, but he's not rushing things, according to an interview he did recently with The Athletic's Jared Weiss.
“There’s really no rush for me," Walker said. "I’m really trying to eat up this time, to be real. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten so much time to work on myself, work on my body. So I’m not tripping at all. Honestly, I’d probably rather just sit it out and try to be ready for the next go-around, so we’ll see how it (goes).”
Walker also dished on his brief stint with the Mavs and how he enjoyed playing with Luka Doncic.
“They said they wanted to go young. That was it,” Walker explained. “They wanted to go young, which I respect. I was happy that I got the opportunity to get out there, be in Dallas, get the chance to play with Luka and watch him up close and personal. After playing with (Jayson Tatum), I’ve played with two of the best young players in the game right now. So that was a pretty cool experience.”
In nine games for Dallas, Walker averaged 8.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 16 minutes per game. In his one and only start with Doncic sitting out, Walker put up a season-high 32 points in a 100-99 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 17.
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