He was an all star level player. As a primary option. Now he’s a 3rd option with bad knees and is over 30 years old. He’s a very average shooter and if he’s not making his shots, he’s not contributing to the team while being on the court.
Less than 6 months ago he played 17 post-season games against three straight elite defensive opponents, and he put up:
19.6 points, 5.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 0.9 steals
57% True Shooting
He's been an All-Star the last 4 seasons.
You cannot make these sweeping judgments about a player (a) coming off an injury (b) who has played only 6 games and (c) who has a long track record of playing at a very high level.
You’re making a judgement that he will return to his previous all star form and I’m just not so sure of that, considering his age, injury history, and the fact that he is now a 3rd option on this team. That’s all factual. For the record, I hope that your are right and I am wrong. Guess we shall see...
"To his previous All-Star form" -- as in, the way he was playing six months ago, with no new injury having occurred since?
I think it's way too soon to operate from the assumption he won't return to form, or very close to it.
He has some lingering knee issues, yes. It is concerning. I'm not suggesting we should all pretend it's not a thing.
But some people talk about Kemba as though he tore his ACL and MCL or blew out his achilles or something.
True: it's never a good sign for a smaller guard past age 30 to have lingering knee soreness.
Also true: lots of guys with similar issues have continued to play at a high level well into their mid-30s, though it requires them to adapt.