Walker shows offensive strength in 44-point explosion
NLEX import Henry Walker. PBA IMAGES
Consider it as a statement game for Henry Walker.
Hearing negative criticisms regarding his unselfish demeanor in his last stint, the 28-year-old winger silenced all the critics and lit it up for NLEX.
The Huntington, West Virginia native logged a PBA career-high of 44 points, six rebounds and two assists to carry the Road Warriors to a 96-90 victory over Blackwater on Saturday.
READ: PBA: Walker’s 40-point outburst carries NLEX past Blackwater
“I remember everybody was talking how unselfish I was and I need to be more aggressive. I just wanted to come out and be aggressive for my team and see what I could do then,” he said.
Baskets really came easy for Walker as he smoked hot early and immediately dropped 24 points in the first period alone. “If they don’t double team me, the same thing will happen,” he said.
But he knows that things would just get harder from here after teams saw his offensive capacity.
“I’m sure now, guys won’t let me play at my pace and they’re going to take the ball out of my hands.”
“We’ll see, but if that happens, hopefully another person in our team gets it going and has a big game. I’m not against sharing the wealth. I’ll be willing to pass it if I have to.”
A lot has changed since Walker last saw action in the league. After playing for Alaska back in 2014, he now seen as veteran in a young NLEX squad who is hoping to reverse its the paltry showing in the past two conferences.
“I just think my role is different. When I was with Alaska, I had a different role and I was more of a facilitator. They have guys who are leading and are already comfortable with what they are doing,” he said.
“Here, we got a bunch of young guys, and then me, Asi (Taulava) and Enrico (Villanueva). We just got to aggressive, start it ourselves, and lead by example.”
And that aggressiveness is what Walker wants to see from his teammates if they want to keep the Road Warriors’ high octane offense running.
“I just tell them all the time to have the confidence to be aggressive. If you get the ball, do something with it. If you get the open shot, shoot it. Don’t think about anything else,” he said. “Just be aggressive, that’s the thing I’m stressing.”
