Walker

BOSTON — Two weeks ago, Boston rookie Bill Walker tattooed the numbers 1023 on the left side of his neck.

He did that “to remind myself to never forget where I came from.”

Walker grew up on 1023 Minton St. in Huntington, W. Va, and back then, he said, he had nothing. Now he can afford a whole lot more, but the tattoo is a reminder to never stop working hard.

He is reminded of that every time he looks in the mirror.

His hard work is paying dividends so far.

A second-round draft pick (47th overall) by the Washington Wizards, the Celtics acquired Walker for cash considerations. He showed some explosiveness during the preseason before being sent to Utah of the D-League along with fellow rookie J.R. Giddens in November.

Walker didn’t see it as a demotion, but rather as an opportunity to show the Celtics what he could do.

“When Mr. [Danny] Ainge talked to us about going down there, he told us that it wasn’t a demotion,” Walker said. “He told us to go down there and work on our game, get in better shape, and get some in-game experience instead of just sitting on the bench, wasting away. [The Celtics] went through a stretch where they only practiced twice and that’s not beneficial towards me and J.R. at all.”

Both Walker (hip) and Giddens (wrist) were injured while playing for Utah. They were promoted on Jan. 8, in part, to see the Celtics team doctors. But with Kendrick Perkins (shoulder) and Tony Allen (ankle) both not expected to return to Boston’s lineup until early next week at the earliest, their stay might be longer than initially expected.

“I’m not the coach so that’s not for me to weigh in on,” Walker said. “All I’m supposed to do is just be ready when I’m called. We are a pretty good team. We have a great record so everything is still going smoothly.”

Walker earned third-team All-Big 12 honors from the Associated Press and the league’s coaches as a red-shirt freshman while at Kansas State last year. The former Wildcat ranked second on the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game, which also was good for fifth in the Big 12.

When he first signed with the Celtics, he thought that he could help them out this year, but that hasn’t happened yet.

“You always expect to contribute to the team that takes you, but you have to be a realist,” Walker said. “You have to sit back and be aware that right now it’s not my opportunity. What I’m supposed to do is just be a good teammate, be there and cheer for my guy right now until my time.”

He has certainly made the most of his opportunities while playing for Utah in the D-League.

Walker appeared in 15 games for the Flash, averaging a team-high 18.7 points on 55.7-percent shooting, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals in 30.5 minutes.

Walker said that rejoining the Celtics is what drove him to succeed in the D-League.

“When we are down there, it’s every man for themselves. That’s basically how you have to approach it,” Walker said.

That doesn’t mean going out and playing one-on-one basketball, he added.

Giddens appeared in 13 games for the Flash, averaging 17.3 points on 53.5-percent shooting, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and a team-high 1.5 blocks in a team-high 37.6 minutes per game.

“I think he’s slowed down a lot,” Walker said of Giddens. “He’s an extremely quick player but he used to have a hop in his step before he would take off. But now he’s slowed down and he is taking advantage of every possession he gets.”

Boston coach Doc Rivers said that he doesn’t expect to play Walker or Giddens soon, but that may change.

roblee@projo.com