Former first-round Pacers pick falling out of favor again?

It appeared that the Pacers forward project was starting to break through.

On Nov. 24 against Detroit, former No. 8 overall pick Jarace Walker made eight of his 10 shots, and earned a spot in the starting lineup for three of the four games thereafter.

The progress has stopped, however. At least for now.

Not only did Walker not start against the Bulls on Friday, but he hardly played. His nine minutes were his shortest stint of the season by far, the only time he's been under 17, and only the second time he's been under 20. He finished with three points on three shots, plus one rebound.

This all comes in the context of Walker's extreme shooting struggles this season; he's at 34 percent from the field, including 30 percent from behind the arc. It also comes in the context of others in his 2023 draft class starting to emerge.

Walker now stands 25th in his class in points, 16th in rebounds and 16th in assists. While Walker's lack of playing time last season was partly attributable to the depth of the roster, as it raced to the NBA Finals, there's no such glut of talent ahead of him this time. The Pacers need help, but at the moment, Rick Carlisle isn't trusting Walker to provide much of it.

Jarace Walker has a lot of skill for a guy his size.

Slow start to his first season with a 30+ MPG workload for the @Pacers. But last night vs. the Bucks had 18/8/5. Lots to like if this starts coming with more regularity. pic.twitter.com/F9YWl26F6U
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) November 4, 2025

And now others, such Brooklyn's Noah Clowney (21st), are joining the likes of Utah's Keyonte George (17th) and Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. (18th) in providing much more value from further down the draft round. Cason Wallace, taken 10th by Oklahoma City, was a major contributor to a championship, playing well in the NBA Finals against Indiana. Even Cam Whitmore, on his second team (Washington) is starting to find a role.

It's not time to give up on Walker, who is only 23, but clearly he must provide more, and he might need to do in less time, if fewer minutes lead to a win as it did in Chicago.