The Offensive Game of Houston Forward Jarace Walker
The overall ceiling and impact that Houston forward Jarace Walker makes at the next level very well may depend on the continued development of his offensive game.
We already know the impact that 6-foot-8 freshman can make on the defensive end of the court which is backed up by some impressive Cerebro Sports defensive impact stats (DSI) scores.
The IMG Academy product consistently graded out in the 80s, 90s and even the 100s at times with his former high school and is so far putting up an extremely impressive 87 DSI this season with the Cougars.
Where Walker must continue to grow is on the other end of the court. He is currently averaging 11.3 points per game on 48% from the field (9.3 attempts), 38% from the 3-point line (2.1 attempts) and 64% from the free throw line (2.3 attempts).
Similar to his box score stats, the Pennsylvania native, also grades out solid in his Cerebro's offensive metrics. Walker is posting a score of 61 in point scoring prowess (PSP), 3-point efficiency (3PE) and 10 points better (71) around the rim (ATR).
The freshman has also displayed his intriguing passing ability with just under two assists per game and a score of 56 for his floor general skills (FGS).
Scoring
The thing that stands out immediately with Walker’s scoring package is the variety of play types he can score out of. This is not a forward that is solely running post isolations or getting out in transition or working in ball screen situations.
Walker is absolutely being utilized in those types of possessions but he is also cutting, operating in the dunker spot, picking and popping, attacking close outs and being a factor on the offensive boards.
The “negative” to this is that you may not be able to pinpoint something that Walker does elite in terms of his scoring or sure fire way for him to get a bucket when his team needs it.
This leads to inconsistent scoring highlighted by the point totals from this 10 game stretch: 17, 4, 6, 2, 23, 21, 6, 9, 17, and 25.
When looking at 19-year-old’s physique you may assume he simply tries to overpower defenders but he absolutely has skill and finesse to his game.
Not only does he show some “wiggle” with his ball handling, which can be loose at times, but also has shown foundational shooting ability and a chance to be really good in ball screen short rolls.
Much like the rest of his offensive game, the shooting is simply inconsistent and while the 37% 3-point shooting is good, it is also on a very low volume. The less than ideal free throw percentage, sometimes used as even more of an indicator for NBA 3-point shooting, is also worth noting.
With that said, the good possessions are hard to ignore and there are very real reasons to buy into his long term shooting potential.
Perhaps even more exciting is what Walker can provide as a ball screen short roll player. Again, while inconsistent, the mid range floater is something he seems to be very comfortable and confident with which is a must in these types of possessions.
The ability to score in these play types, combined with the potential playmaking, are very encouraging from Walker.
Passing
The ability to pass in ball screen situations is the most intriguing and translatable part of Walker’s passing acumen.
Not only does he look to be able to make the correct read in the short roll but there is also potential to be a playmaker in pick-and-pop possessions.
If the 3-point shooting is at a respectable level to force defenders to close out, Walker has the handle to attack these closeouts and score or find an open teammate if the defense helps off.
The other aspect of Walker’s passing that was impressive was how often he made the simple one-more pass to keep the flow of the offense going and his lack of turnovers, just 1.1 per game in 26 minutes of play.
Jarace Walker was a top 15 player in the 2022 freshman class and based on his season so far he looks to also be at top 15 prospect in the 2023 NBA draft.
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