In the NBA, a players’ rookie season isn’t defined by the way they start, but rather how they finish. In-season improvement is crucial, and often prominent, for these young prospects. As we turn to the second half of this regular season, many rookies will make leaps to cement themselves as cornerstones for their respective franchises. Through his first real NBA minutes, the Indiana Pacers’ Jarace Walker has been doing exactly this.
After tearing up the G League, Walker is finally finding playing time with the Pacers. The eighth pick in last year’s draft, the former Houston Cougar averaged 24.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 stocks (steals and blocks) per game in six G League Showcase games. Notably, he converted 2.5 of his 6.7 3-point attempts per contest at a 37.7% mark. In five regular season games, Walker’s numbers looked even better. He’s averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. His beyond-the-arc numbers have also looked even better, scoring half of his 8.2 attempts per game.
For context, Walker made just 34.7% of his 2.8 3-point attempts per game last year as a college freshman. His jumper has always been a swing skill, but so far Walker’s not only shooting at a passable level, but thriving as a shooter. Combine this marksmanship with his strong, athletic profile and disruptive defensive skills, and Indiana has quite the intriguing 6-foot-8 prospect.
On a Thursday night win against the Sacramento Kings, Walker played the best game of his young professional career. He notched 15 points in under 20 minutes of playing time while shooting 3-for-8 from deep. He followed up this performance by falling just one rebound short of a double-double against the Phoenix Suns. He played 18 minutes, just a single minute fewer than Jalen Smith and 8 less than Obi Toppin.
After trading for all-star Pascal Siakam, the Pacers have a bevy of depth at the forward position. They boast multiple rotation-caliber options off the bench. However, as they’ve prioritized getting Walker these minutes, he’s responded in a huge way. As the Pacers inch closer to their first playoff birth of the Tyrese Haliburton era, expect Walker to make more waves as the 20-year-old continues to navigate the NBA.
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