Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jarace Walker's Value Proposition to the Pacers Offense
In last Thursday's NBA Draft, Jarace Walker was drafted No. 8 overall by the Indiana Pacers.
Walker, the 19-year-old freshman forward from the University of Houston, met the threshold for my Productive Young Athlete query this past season and measured in at 6-foot-7 without shoes at 249 pounds with a 7-foot-3 wingspan at the NBA Draft Combine.
What does Walker bring to the Pacers immediately on the offensive end?
Immediate Offensive Role Projection: Roll & Cut Big
The first and most simple way Walker can be utilized is as a play finisher. He's a quality finisher at the rim and positions himself smartly around the dunker spot, as he's always prepared for a pass. He can finish plays in a variety of ways, ranging from a soft floater he's improving to a ferocious dunk.
Any NBA lineup can use finishing bigs, and the Pacers usually have Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson, or Myles Turner fill this role. Walker's ability to fulfill the role of a Roll & Cut Big is important because the Pacers ranked 12th in Pick-And-Roll Ball-Handler possessions and 5th in Pick-And-Roll Roll-Man possessions this past season.
Below we see Jalen Smith fulfilling this role while contributing to the Pacers offense.
Additionally, Walker is valuable as a roller – both when he rolls all the way to the basket or when he rolls short after a defense schemes an aggressive drop coverage or hedge. Despite not doing it frequently at Houston, the versatile forward has immense potential as a roller due to his 7-foot-3 wingspan and vertical athleticism.
Below we see Isaiah Jackson fulfilling a similar skillset, rolling and finishing at the rim.
As mentioned, Walker is most valuable offensively in the short roll. This is due to his developing floater, but more importantly because of his underrated passing and excellent playmaking ability.
Areas of Potential for Walker
In addition to being a play-finisher or adding value as a passer in the short roll, Walker offers potential in pick-and-pop situations as well.
Despite subpar shooting indicators of 34.4% on catch-and-shoot threes (93 attempts) and a 66 FT% (80 attempts), Walker's form improved throughout the year. Although this wasn't evident in catch-and-shoot situations, as he only converted 9 of his last 30 (30%) catch-and-shoot threes at Houston, it shows up in his FT% as he made 18 of his last 25 free-throws (72%).
The Pacers like their bigs to pop fairly frequently, as Myles Turner had 48 attempted threes off of pick-and-roll situations and Jalen Smith had 34 attempts from three in the same situation this past season.
Not only has Walker shown potential in catch-and-shoot situations, which is an area he's openly discussed that he's been focused on improving, but Walker has potential attacking closeouts and generating rim attempts through his own self-creation.
Below we see Walker's ability to attack closeouts, oftentimes leading to a drawn foul, his floater, or even off-the-dribble makes.
This is an area all three of Oshae Brissett, Jordan Nwora, and Aaron Nesmith were expected to contribute in last season for the Pacers. Most notably, all three played a majority of their minutes at the four, the numerical position Walker is likely to slide into on his first day in the NBA.
With Walker consistently improving his shooting mechanics and being that he's shown enticing flashes of attacking closeouts, he may be a contributor in both pick-and-pop and catch-and-shoot situations early in his career. The incoming rookie has also shown some flashes of self-creation, which perhaps could make Walker dynamic both offensively and defensively in the NBA down the line (the latter of which will be discussed in a future article).
Lastly, Walker’s feel for the game -- visually illustrated by his playmaking and passing ability -- is one of the main components of his game that stands out on film. Plays like the one's below aren't always recorded as assists in the box score, but they help the flow of an offense and ensures he can play in almost any lineup.
From the jump, the Pacers and their fanbase are getting a player who can begin as a play-finisher and a dynamic threat out of the pick-and-roll. As Walker continues to develop, he could grow into a player that can be utilized in pick-and-pop situations when the defense deploys drop coverage. Down the line, Walker could continue growing his game into a sound catch-and-shoot threat who can attack closeouts, drive to the basket, create for others, and potentially even create his own shot.
Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.