Charlotte Bobcats: Why Kemba Walker Will Win 2011-2012 Rookie of the Year

Drafting Kemba Walker with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft was the steal of the draft. Kemba Walker was arguably the best college basketball player last year.

Sure Jimmer Fredette won the National Player of the Year award, but he couldn't accomplish what Kemba did by winning the 2011 National Championship.

What every college basketball fan witnessed in the 2011 NCAA tournament is exactly what is going to earn Kemba the 2011 Rookie of the Year award. That is the leadership that defines Kemba's game.

Kemba Walker took a young, inexperienced and non-ranked UCONN Huskies team from the edge of obscurity, to becoming national champions. And it didn't happen over night. It wasn't luck or magic that transformed the UCONN Huskies; it was the proven leadership of Kemba Walker.

Kemba Walker didn't lead with his words; he led with the way he played the game on the court. That is what sets him apart from other NBA rookies from the 2011 draft class.

Sure there are other NBA rookies who have played more college games, like Jimmer Fredette or Kyle Singler. There are rookies who have better statistical production, like Marshon Brooks or Andrew Goudelock.

But those player don't know what it means to be a leader on and off the court like Kemba.

Kemba Walker will bring his leadership to a young Charlotte Bobcats team that desperately needs it. Last year the Bobcats were on the brink of becoming the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

It wasn't their lack of talent or inexperience that kept them out of the playoffs, it was the lack of on-court leadership.

What kept the Bobcats out of the playoffs last year is what they found in Kemba Walker. That is exactly why he will win the 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year award.

Kemba will be the rookie of the year because he will help the Bobcats get to the next level. Walker proved in college that he has the work ethic and the desire to be one of the greatest. He made that evident by taking the Huskies to the next level, much like he will do with the Bobcats.

I'm not saying Kemba will help the Bobcats win an NBA championship in his first season, or that he will put up production like he did in college to the tune of 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

Kemba will realistically put up a first year average of 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

Kemba's production will speak for itself in the 2011-12 NBA season. Along with the fact that he will help the Bobcats finally make it into the playoffs, which will be the icing on the cake of his Rookie of the Year campaign.

The kind of emotion we saw out of Kemba when he was selected ninth in the NBA draft is the same kind of emotion that will push him to make an instant impact in the NBA.

Kemba will join the likes of recent NBA stars like LeBron James, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Blake Griffin who all have won the rookie of the year award.

Will Kemba have the career production and impact of those players?

Only time will tell. Until then, it will be interesting to watch Kemba's development.

Kemba Walker will win the 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year trophy, the first of many NBA accolades for his career.