Kemba Walker entered the NBA without a reliable perimeter jumper, but he has transformed himself into one of the best three-point shooters off the dribble in the league.
Walker shot 30 percent on three-pointers as a rookie and a combined 31.8 percent on threes over his first four seasons.
"I never saw myself playing at this level, and shooting the ball like this," said Walker. "I guess you could say I'm surprised."
"He and Dame [Lillard] are the closest things to Stephen Curry," said James Borrego.
When Walker was negotiating a contract extension in 2014, his agent Jeff Schwartz pushed for $12 million per season. Charlotte's best offer was $10 million per season and as the deadline approached, Walker pushed Schwartz to accept. Walker even threatened to call the Hornets to accept it himself. Charlotte, however, eventually offered a four-year, $48 million extension that was accepted.
As Walker approaches a pivotal free agency, he talked about his love for Charlotte.
"These guys believed in me," Walker said. "I couldn't care less about big markets. That's not who I am. I want to make this place big. I want to be in the playoffs every year. I want to make Charlotte pop."