OKC Thunder Select Baylor Freshman Ja'Kobe Walter in Recent Mock Draft

In a mock draft published on Monday morning by Kyrsten Peek for Yahoo, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Baylor guard Ja'Kobe Walter.

Walter is coming off of a solid freshman season with the Bears that saw the Dallas-area product average 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Walter's efforts helped lead Baylor to a No. 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament and landed him All-Big 12 and Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors in 2024.

Coming out of high school, Walter was a 5-star recruit and McDonald's All-American, rated the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 1 shooting guard in the nation.

While the high-profile prospect managed to put up solid numbers as a freshman, Walter was not very efficient in his lone collegiate season. The Bears' standout shot just 37.6% from the field and 34.1% from 3-point range.

While another perimeter player who lacks a consistent 3-point shot may not seem like a good fit for Oklahoma City, especially considering the team's guard depth, Walter has shown good touch and could blossom as a shooter under Chip Engelland in a smaller role than he played at Baylor.

Walter took nearly 11 shots per game as a freshman, which would not be his role with the Thunder, especially as a rookie on an established squad. What the former 5-star could provide, however, is a valuable bench scorer with good athleticism who can serve as an offensive sparkplug.

In the Western Conference Semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Daigneault's second unit had trouble scoring at times. Adding a young, proven scorer with plenty of upside to the group could benefit both Walter and OKC.

In a smaller role, Walter can focus on what he does best, rather than having to shoulder the team's entire offensive load.

At the NBA Combine, Walter measured over 6-foot-4 and 197 pounds without shoes in addition to a 6-foot-10 wingspan. The standout freshman's youth, size at the position and scoring prowess make him a candidate for Sam Presti and company if Walter is still on the board at pick No. 12 later this month.

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