Kemba Walker in Betclic Elite, an outstanding arrival in more ways than one

It’s a real coup that AS Monaco has just achieved! After an exceptional season, crowned by the title of champion of France and a historic third place in the Euroleague, the Monegasque club announced, on Friday 21 July, the signing of a bounty from world basketball, Kemba Walker. Never had a player like him played in the French league, excluding the interludes played by Nicolas Batum, Tony Parker and Boris Diaw during the 2011 NBA lockout.

If his arrival at the Rock confirms his club’s ambitions, it’s a whole championship that should benefit from the signing of the former Charlotte leader. Two years after the arrival of Mike James, Monaco again enters a higher dimension. Quadruple NBA All-Star, leading scorer in Charlotte Hornets history, 750 games in major leagues, former NCAA college champion, his accomplishments list speaks for itself.

A sporting added value to be defined but infinite perspectives

Without exaggeration, it is no exaggeration to say that if he returns to his best, Kemba Walker will have all the ingredients to be one of the best players in Europe. Able to post more than 25 points per game in the NBA during his best season, he is unmatched on paper, neither in Betclic Elite nor in the Euroleague.

Far from being a mere scorer, the Bronx native also plays his teammates to perfection, as evidenced by his career average of 5.3 assists per game. In a less solo European basketball and anchored to the culture of systems, his integration should therefore take place without too many difficulties.

If the knee, which jeopardized his career, is the main question related to his arrival, it is because he has only played nine games in the last two seasons. A hunger total that raises questions, but that is not enough to reduce the emotion of seeing such a player set foot on the French fields. Without him Monaco was aiming for the European title, with him the ASM immediately entered into discussions for the definitive consecration of the Old Continent.

Immediate renewed attraction after the farewell of Victor Wembanyama

If Betclic Elite has never been talked about as much as last year, it is largely due to the presence of Victor Wembanyama among the Mets ranks. With an apotheotic final at Roland-Garros, just days before the Frenchman was chosen in first position, the French championship has benefited from a sensational spotlight. While the former neo-spurs club are already feeling the repercussions of his departure, the arrival of ‘Cardiac Kemba’ should allow the league to get back on its feet quicker than expected.

Capable of sacred shots, Kemba Walker is a player”flashy“, with a sometimes devastating dribble. And even if he is not as lively as in his best years, he is also renowned for his ability to be decisive at the end of the game. His hitter with UConn testifies to this, of course, but also his many game-winning shots in the NBA.

To imagine him alongside Mike James on a more than referenced rear-wheel drive must already make the mouths of basketball fans in France and also in Europe water. It now remains to be seen whether Kevin Durant’s friend will not be tempted by a new NBA freelance next season and whether the possible financial restrictions imposed by the National Basketball League will not come to slow down such a rise of a French team. In the meantime, all French basketball is rejoicing at such an arrival.