Kemba Walker
2020–21
NBA player comparison
Kemba Walker vs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 2020–21 season
Regular-season verdict
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the higher model estimate for the 2020–21 season
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2020–21
Impact comparison
+1.7Season impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+5.3Leads
#79Season impact rank#16Leads
43Games35
1,369Minutes1,180
19.3PPG23.7Leads
55.9%TS%62.3%Leads
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's estimated impact per 100 possessions was +5.3, compared with +1.7 for Kemba Walker. This compares their impact while playing, not their total contribution across the season. Both players are compared in the 2020–21 season using its published Impact Rate. A ranked comparison requires at least 450 minutes for each player.
Kemba Walker: 43 games and 1,369 minutes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 35 games and 1,180 minutes. Playing time matters when judging the whole season; the impact estimate above is a rate, not a season total.
Read turnover rate alongside offensive workload. Offensive usage measures the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on the court—not every touch, pass, or act of playmaking. These rows provide context; they are not extra points added to the ranking.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Behind the estimate
Why the model rates them this way
A verified breakdown of this season’s published estimate is unavailable. We do not substitute another season’s calculation.
What this does not establish: these figures do not prove that either player made his teammates shoot better. A verified teammate-shooting comparison is unavailable for this selected season. A small difference in the estimates is not a decisive basketball distinction.
Full comparison · 2020–21 season
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
The impact estimate compares performance while playing, not total contribution over the season. The individual-stat estimate plus the lineup adjustment gives the final estimate.
| Metric | Kemba Walker | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| Season impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average | +1.7 | +5.3Better result for this metric. |
| Season impact rank | #79 | #16Better result for this metric. |
Kemba Walker: verified lineup window unavailable. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: verified lineup window unavailable. The adjustment is not necessarily based on this season alone.
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | Kemba Walker | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 43 | 35 |
| Minutes | 1,369 | 1,180 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These figures describe the selected regular seasons. They provide context, not extra points added to the verdict. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Kemba Walker | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 55.9% | 62.3%Better result for this metric. |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Kemba Walker | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 42.0% | 50.8%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | 36.0% | 41.8%Better result for this metric. |
| Free-throw percentage | 89.9%Better result for this metric. | 80.8% |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | Kemba Walker | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| Assists per game | 4.9 | 5.9Better result for this metric. |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Kemba Walker | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| Rebounds per game | 4.0 | 4.7Better result for this metric. |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Kemba Walker | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 19.3 | 23.7Better result for this metric. |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.
Regular Season Impact
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the higher model estimate for the 2020–21 season.
Kemba WalkerMetricShai Gilgeous-Alexander
+1.7Season impactEstimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average+5.3Leads
#79Season impact rank#16Leads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Kemba WalkerMetricShai Gilgeous-Alexander
422LeadsListed-team regular-season wins367
44.5%Listed-team winning percentage57.7%Leads
050-win team seasons3Leads
060-win team seasons2Leads
4Playoff team seasons5Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads every available measure below.
Kemba WalkerMetricShai Gilgeous-Alexander
4Playoff appearances5Leads
31Playoff games61Leads
14Team playoff wins38Leads
0Finals appearances1Leads
0Championships1Leads
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads every available measure below.
Kemba WalkerMetricShai Gilgeous-Alexander
4All-Star4
0MVP2Leads
1All-NBA4Leads
0All-Defense0
0DPOY0
0Rookie of the Year0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.
Selected seasons
Era-centered impact
Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.
Kemba WalkerShai Gilgeous-Alexander
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.