Jordan Walsh is one of the youngest players in this draft, turning 20 towards the end of his rookie season. Having seem him play up in EYBL with Drive Nation in Dallas, Jordan Walsh has a good value as a role player for a good team early in his career. As a freshman, Walsh averaged 7 PPG, 4 RPG, 1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.5 BPG, and 1 TOPG on splits of 43/28/71. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Jordan Walsh
Height/Weight: 6’6 ½/204
Wingspan/ standing reach: 7’2/8’11
Hand size: 8 ¾
Position: Wing
Pre-Draft team: Arkansas
Tools: Length, defense
Pros:
- Outstanding length
- Strong defensive instincts
- Good athlete
- Has a good spin move
- Good cutter
- Uses his length well as a finisher
- Good vision, especially near the rim
- Excellent defensive footwork
- Strong fundamental understanding of the game; applies his knowledge well in practical situations
Cons:
- Doesn’t have great self-creation ability
- Needs to prove shooting consistency
- Needs to add strength
- Negative assist:turnover ratio
- Must limit fouling
- Double clutches at the rim too often
Swing Skills:
- Driving/unassisted driving ability
- Jump shot success
Summary:
Jordan Walsh is a long wing with high defensive upside and play-finishing ability.
Offensively, Walsh doesn’t create for himself, but can finish plays off cuts and see the floor well. This puts Walsh as a primarily off-ball threat, but in order to maximize that role, he will have to become a better & more consistent shooter. As a cutter, he’s intelligent, he uses his athleticism well, and doesn’t force shots. Being able to connect the offense and see the floor past his own scoring, especially near the rim when he has defenders near him, helps him as a strong connecting piece offensively.
While Walsh lacks creativity as a ball-handler, he can find cutters and sees the floor well on the move and in spots where players get trapped/where the floor shrinks. As a constantly moving off-ball threat, having the quick processing skills on the move are valuable to maintain floor-time. The big swing skill for Walsh’s offense lasting in the NBA is his jump shooting. With a poor 3 point percentage and a subpar free throw percentage, the indicators are not strong for Walsh. One bit of intel that helps Walsh’s case as a shooter is that the offense at Arkansas was often disorganized, and that the varying directions of instructions for Walsh became so overwhelming that he thought so much that he was taken out of his element. In the NBA, where spacing and specialized roles with ancillary values matter so much, Walsh should get more encouragement and development as a shooter and cutter.
Defensively, Walsh has outstanding technique, good strength that is hidden by his long arms, and a strong length + footwork combination that is ideal for the modern wing. Walsh can defend multiple levels and positions due to his strong application of fundamental defensive skills & training into live games, which makes him one of the best defenders in the draft. Walsh should be able to safely guard 2-4, with some upside as a point guard defender. As a likely defensive stopper, Walsh has both a high floor and high upside as a defender.
Overall, Walsh is a great value play for playoff teams needing an affordable high-level defense, with potential to develop as a finisher and shooter. Look for Walsh to fall into the range with lots of playoff-caliber teams picking, around the 25-40 range if he chooses to stay in the draft. If he returns to school, Walsh could find himself in a similar pickle to this last season, having ball-dominant guards and mediocre spacing, which limits his off-ball prowess.
Similar to: Early career Jerami Grant, Kenrich Williams, Keita Bates-Diop
Projected draft range: 25-40
Expected role: Defensive stopper with play-finishing abilities.
Unplayable if: Unlikely to be unplayable, but a worst case scenario lies in his shooting not developing into a reliable skill.
Exceeds expectations if: Jump shooting develops smoothly, and he learns to attack closeouts to better maximize his offensive skillset and unlock some playmaking on the move.
Miscellaneous Synergy Stats:
Catch & Shoot 3’s 16/62 (25.8%)
Off the dribble jumpers: 7/24 (29.2%)
Videos:
Shot chart:
