The AAC Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-AAC, Jarace Walker excelled as a freshman at Houston. On the year, Walker averaged 11.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1 SPG, 1.3 BPG, and 1.5 TOPG on splits of 46.5/34.7/66.3. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Jarace Walker
Height/Weight: 6’7/249
Wingspan/ standing reach: 7’2 ½ /8’8 ½
Hand size: 10
Position: Forward
Pre-Draft team: Houston
Tools: Versatility, defense, connective offense
Pros:
- Good defensive feel
- Reliable floater
- Projectable jumper with good form
- Good vision
- NBA ready body with huge hands and long arms
- Excellent finisher at the rim
- Has a great pump fake on the catch
- Quick first step
- Good athlete that can use his combination of size/athleticism functionally
Cons:
- Needs to become a more consistent shooter
- Inefficient shooter off the dribble
- Must reduce turnovers on drives
- Shooting form may need some tweaking; awkward release
- Forces runners/floaters a bit too much
- Ball security can be sloppy at times
Summary:
Jarace Walker is one of the top ceiling-raisers in the draft.
Offensively, Walker already played his likely early NBA career role as a freshman at Houston, often being put to the corner to create action himself off of movements and being an off-ball threat. His jumper is underwhelming and is unlikely to thrive in the NBA given the historical success rate of players who shoot under 67% from the free throw line out of college. However, even without a jumper, he still finds ways to make his teammates better: he’s a high-level off-ball mover, he has a dynamic floater, and he sees the floor well with no wasted motions.
Defensively, Walker has premier upside in this draft, potentially being able to truly guard 1-5 due to length, mobility, motor, intelligence, athleticism, and strength to defend multiple facets of the court. Because of this ability currently with room to master elements of his defense, Walker fits just about every team and would help improve a team’s win total in year one as well as down the road, giving him an upside of a Draymond Green type, without being entirely comparable to Draymond Green.
Overall, for teams looking to get affordable, long-term cost-controlled winning players at a young age, Jarace Walker should be a top priority. If Dallas were to take him at 10, he would not only become the best defender on the team in day-one, but he would have a massive swing on the front-court versatility and roster construction. Walker could immediately solve issues on both ends, being able to attack closeouts at his size, which is an area of need for Dallas in the frontcourt.
For Orlando, Walker fits the type of frontcourt player the Magic may want, especially given that two of the named players he is similar to have played for Orlando. While the roster is clunky at forward, Walker adds a different element than the other forwards being able to do what a healthy Jonathan Isaac could do, in a slightly scaled down role. If Orlando chooses to move on from Isaac this summer, Walker is a much better cost-effective alternative with significantly fewer health concerns.
Similar to: Jerami Grant, Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac
Projected draft range: 5-10
Expected role: Versatile forward that impacts the game without scoring at a high level.
Unplayable if: Unlikely to be unplayable with all-around impact, but his effectiveness come playoffs becomes limited if his shooting doesn’t improve.
Exceeds expectations if: Jump shot comes along while improving his assist:turnover ratio while becoming close to an elite defender.
Miscellaneous Synergy Stats:
Runner: 19-56 (33.9%;37th percentile)
Catch & shoot 3s: 32-93 (34.4%; 65th percentile)
Videos:
Shot chart:
