Celtics' Kemba Walker Says NBA's Break Was 'Super Important' to Heal Knee Injury

Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker told reporters Wednesday that the NBA's hiatus was a good thing for his ailing knee.

"[The break was] super important for me. I really, really needed to get that break," Walker said. "It definitely helped me get back to myself and start to feel comfortable on my knee. It was a very unfortunate time, but it was in my best interests for sure. So I'm pretty comfortable with the way the schedule is, and I'm just going to keep on taking care of myself. That's really all I can do, so I'm just going to stay on top of things and take it day by day."

Walker missed five games after the All-Star break with swelling and pain in his left knee. He struggled mightily when he was on the floor, averaging 14.8 points and 4.3 rebounds on 30.5 percent shooting in March.

The downtime allowed Walker to heal, and while he's not fully in game shape yet, he should be 100 percent by the time games resume July 30 in Orlando, Florida. Walker said he's looking forward to resuming games, despite concerns among some players about the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"I'm a single man with no kids, so I'ma be fine. All I do is stay in the house anyways, so there's nothing wrong with me staying in the room," Walker told reporters. "I'm actually looking forward to it cause I'm ready to play basketball. And it's going to be set up so we can have fun."

The Celtics will enter play as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and have a strong chance of finishing seeding games in that spot. They are three games behind the second-seeded Toronto Raptors and 2.5 games ahead of the Miami Heat in fourth.