Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images
The rookie forward is doing a bit of everything for the Pacers to open Summer League.
Early in the second quarter of the Indiana Pacers’ 108-85 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday afternoon, rookie forward Jarace Walker recovered around a screen to spike a shot into teammate Kendall Brown’s hands. Twenty seconds after, he speared the ball out of Jett Howard’s clutches for a steal that sparked a Bennedict Mathurin dunk and Orlando timeout. A few possessions later, he attacked a closeout, decelerated to avoid oncoming help and lofted in a floater, which stretched Indiana’s lead to 32-18.
Through two Summer League outings, Walker has donned numerous hats and been afforded a runway for better and worse to venture the depths of the two-way intrigue that prompted the Pacers to select him eighth overall in last month’s NBA Draft. The former Houston Cougar is averaging 12.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. While the scoring efficiency hasn’t flourished — 33.3 percent from the floor, 23.1 percent beyond the arc, 38.9 percent true shooting — he’s displaying the immediate limitations and future possibilities of his offensive toolkit in a role unlikely to be replicated once the regular season arrives.
Despite shaky scoring production, Walker’s passing feel and sense of space have shined. He’s regularly drifting into openings and executing connective reads. His playmaking in advantageous scenarios is an encouraging proxy for how he may fare as a short-roll delivery man if he’s invovled in more ball-screen actions come this fall and beyond.
Often serving as a stretch 4 alongside Isaiah Jackson and Oscar Tshiebwe, both of whom are geared to dive rather than pop, he’s not received many reps as a roller yet. But when the defense is tilted, his processing speed is a tremendous boon to keep the chains moving. He’s even piloted a pick-and-roll as the ball-handler and discerned the proper decision. His diverse impact as a passer has arguably been his most reliable, impressive trait through two Summer League appearances as a 19-year-old tying together the loose ends around him.
Walker’s garnered a handful of suitable chances for his offensive skill-set. Yet playing that floor-spacing role to accommodate Jackson and Tshiebwe is cumbersome for his current abilities. He’s shown a comfort and willingness to fire jumpers, but it’s not a strong suit of his arsenal at the moment and that’s a significant reason for his putrid efficiency; thirteen of his 30 field goal attempts have come beyond the arc! When he enters a big man cast featuring Myles Turner and Obi Toppin, he should see vastly more sets in which he can operate inside, particularly alongside Turner and if Toppin maintains his growth from deep last season.
In the meantime, Indiana is enabling Walker to function as a ball-handler. He’s fluid and dexterous, maneuvering across the court like a wing. He’s hoisted many pull-up jumpers. Most of them aren’t falling. His proclivity for them far exceeds his success rate. Maybe, that changes down the line. If he’s going to continue initiating offense, I’d like to see fewer possessions occurring like this:
And more possessions unfolding like this:
Deploying him as a DHO trigger man (and subsequent driving threat) still highlights his handle and mobility without thrusting his jumper to the forefront. Scheming more dribble handoffs between him and Mathurin or Andrew Nembhard for the remainder of Summer League would be a benefit, as well as handoffs with those two, Tyrese Haliburton, Bruce Brown and Buddy Hield throughout the regular season. If he’s going to be a scorer, let him work on the move rather than a standstill. Invite him to pressure the defense and continue capitalizing against tilted floors, where he’s exhibited a steadfast propensity of thriving in Summer League.
Given the experimental nature of this setting, though, I understand gauging where Walker’s at as a spot-up and off-the-bounce shooter, just not to the degree the Pacers have done so thus far. He figures prominently into their long-term plans. The results of these games do not. Approach this environment as a means of emphasizing and broadening his development. He won’t be playing like this come October and beyond, but it’s possible in a few years such usage is viable occasionally, partly because of the struggles he endured and was afforded here. Dial it back, nonetheless. Lean into more big man responsibilities and fewer wing initiator ideals.
They’re also mixing up Walker’s defensive duties. He’s played as a low man. He’s switched and hedged pick-and-rolls. He’s chased shooters like Caleb Houstan and Patrick Baldwin around off the ball. He’s defended on the strong-side corner of drives. Summer League is an exploratory platform and they’re certainly exploring with him.
Staying tethered to assignments through screens has proven tenuous and he’s committed some detrimental gambling. By and large, however, Walker’s defensive acumen is living up to his pre-draft laudits. He swipes rickety handles, punctually times interior rotations and stays light on his feet in space. He also hastily pursues and gobbles up rebounds to wrap up possessions. There’s much to be encouraged by from his first 62 minutes of NBA action.
Walker oscillating between helper and primary ball-screener defender portends well for the regular season, when he and Turner could interchange with those roles based on matchups. I’m excited to see how Rick Carlisle maximizes this defensive duo at his disposal, which should help the Indiana rise above its 27th-ranked defense of 2022-23 and be a more apt complement to what could emerge as a quite dynamic offense.
The possibilities for Walker’s game are abound. He’s sharing much of it. A lot of it is working. Some of it is not. Trial and error are among the foremost purposes of this midsummer matinee in Las Vegas. The glimpses of what he brings the Pacers in interim and what he can bring them eventually are evident. Years from now, it might all coalesce and the thread of those initial indicators, at least on an NBA level, will be rooted inside Thomas & Mack Center.
