At some point within the last couple of years, Kemba Walker's proximity to the best players the NBA has to offer became less and less of an enjoyable surprise and more of a routine expectation.
The latest such example took place on Thursday, Feb. 8 when Walker was named to his second-straight NBA All-Star Game in place of injured New York Knicks center, Kristaps Porzingis. Walker is just the fourth Charlotte player to reach the league's midseason showcase event multiple times and the first to do so in consecutive seasons since Glen Rice (1996-98).
The selection of the seventh-year veteran for this year's All-Star Game was hardly conventional.