Recent Pacers Lottery Pick Having Historically Inefficient Season This Year

Nov 24, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas (17) fights for a rebound between Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) and guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Indiana Pacers third-year forward Jarace Walker faced high expectations going into the 2025-26 season.

With an expanded role, nearly doubling his minutes per game from last season, Walker has been immensely inefficient, shooting just 29.8 percent from the field and 26.4 percent from three-point range.

More news: Pacers Make Surprise Decision on Jeremiah Robinson-Earl's Future

As the former eighth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of the University of Houston, Walker's early-season statistics are so disappointing, they have some questioning if he is one of the least efficient rotation players ever.

His 41.6 percent true shooting percentage (as of Nov. 14) is salvaged only by the fact that he isn't a horrible free throw shooter, making 79.5 percent of his shots, but the 22-year-old only gets to the charity stripe less than three times per game.

Jarace Walker is currently producing one of the most inefficient seasons ever for a rotation player:

41.1 TS%
31.5 2PT%
29.7 FG%
27.7 3PT%

Walker went from promising lottery pick for the Pacers to becoming their tank commander, and losing all of his trade value, in a lost year. pic.twitter.com/0eKzmHDfV7

— Evan Sidery (@esidery) November 14, 2025

While Walker has shown some promise on the defensive end, picking up ball-handlers and showing quick awareness when helping with double teams, his offensive ball-handling and shot selection is a concern.

In Walker's defense, the first few weeks of the season have been hellish for a Pacers team already missing its best player in Tyrese Haliburton. Few teams have been snake bit by injuries like the Pacers have so far this season, and a healthier roster could put Walker in a better position to succeed.

More news: Pacers Make Wrong Kind of History with 1-9 Season Start

However, the NBA is about proving you can hang with the best of them, and Walker has been presented an opportunity to show he can contribute as a starter amidst the ever-growing Pacers' injury report.

There have been bright moments for Walker, who had a stretch in late October and early November in which he scored 17 or more points in three of four games. However, the Pacers would still like to see more out of the player they drafted with high hopes.

'It's Difficult Being a Top-10 Pick'

"You know, he was so young when he came in, just one year in college, and so the first year you (Walker) have expectations," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said before the season started. "It's difficult being a top-10 pick. You feel like you're supposed to just go in there and be an impact guy. In our situation, his position was pretty crowded, so it took time. He's learned, and he's worked extremely hard. And he's positioned himself to be a major factor on this team."

Walker will still have plenty of opportunities to become that major factor he and Carlisle hoped would develop in Year Three, but it's he start taking advantage of an excess of playing time. Improving his shot selection in order to raise his abysmal shooting percentages might be a good place to start.

For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, visit Indiana Pacers on SI.