Celtics News: Kemba Walker Will Have Minutes Restriction at Restart Amid Injury

Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker played just nine minutes in his team's scrimmage Sunday against the Phoenix Suns.

It'll be a while before he returns to his typical workload.

Celtics head coach Brad Stevens told reporters after the game that Walker will remain on a minutes restriction to begin the seeding games as the guard works back from a knee injury, which isn't to say he wasn't impressive Sunday.

"I thought he looked good, I thought he had his burst, I thought he played hard defensively," Stevens said. "He created chaos on a couple of different plays. Offensively, I thought he got to the rim and got his shot."

Walker scored six points on six field-goal attempts with one rebound and no assists against the Suns, but the fact that he stayed healthy and was able to get into a rhythm on the floor is what's most important—even if it was short-lived.

"I would love to just be like, 'You know what? I don't care about no minutes restriction or anything of that nature.' But obviously I can't," Walker said. "I got to be smart about things. At this point, it just is what it is. I want to be there for my teammates when we're in the playoffs. Hopefully, by then, the restrictions and things of that nature are completely off."

Walker's left knee, which he originally injured in February and felt a flareup in June, continues to give Stevens pause, though there's more than enough reason to ease the guard back into action.

The Celtics have already clinched a postseason berth and are essentially playing the next eight games to determine their seed. Given that the club is currently in the No. 3 slot—and 9.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Bucks—Boston is likely to finish with a top-six seed regardless of what happens over the next few weeks.

With all teams playing in Orlando, Florida, the pressure to maintain a top-four seed and earn home-court advantage no longer exists.

So Walker will continue to take it slow for now. Stevens will keep him around 9-10 minutes per game for the next few games and re-evaluate along the way.

If all goes well, Walker could be back to his normal self when his teammates need him most: the playoffs.