Jarace Walker's Role Next Season for the Pacers

Jarace Walker was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, who drafted the Houston University product with the intent of sending him to the Indiana Pacers as part of a draft-night trade.

Walker appeared in 36 games during his brief time with the Cougars, spending just one season playing under Kelvin Sampson. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound bowling ball of a forward averaged 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds a game as a true freshman, earning AAC Freshman of the Year honors.

Walker entered the 2023 NBA Draft as a projected top-10 pick, lauded for his positional versatility and defensive upside. Finding a home in Indiana with the Pacers, Walker landed with a team void of many players that fit his positional archetype.

Even still, Walker didn’t see much playing time a year ago with the Pacers. The rookie forward played in 340 total minutes last season, making appearances in 33 games with Indiana. Most of Walker’s minutes last year came during garbage time with the game already out of reach one way or the other. 

While Walker wasn’t sitting on the bench with Indiana last season, the former top-10 pick spent some time with the Pacers’ g-league affiliate the Indiana Mad Ants. During 13 games played with the Mad Ants a year ago, Walker averaged 21.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists, while shooting 37.8% from 3-point range. Walker proved rather quickly in his short time with the Mad Ants, that he belonged at the NBA level.

A season ago, the Pacers boasted statistically the best bench unit in the NBA, averaging a league-best 46.8 points per game. Most of that bench, outside of big man Jalen Smith, is back for the Pacers this season. Because of how talented the second unit was, Walker had a difficult time cracking the Pacers’ rotation.

The rotation won’t likely be any easier to crack this season but given the draft capital the Pacers invested in Walker just two summers ago, the talented young forward needs to be given consistent rotational minutes this season. The Pacers have long had trouble defending tall, long, and athletic wings. Indiana’s defense last season ranked near the bottom of the league; however, it was at the forward position where the Pacers lacked the most on the defensive side of things. 

Take for example, the Pacers’ playoff run a season ago. Prior to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown feasting on Indiana’s smaller defenders and sending the Pacers home, it was an oversized guard in Jalen Brunson and forward Khris Middleton causing the Pacers problems last postseason.

That’s where Walker comes into the fold. Walker showcased his dynamic playmaking ability throughout his rookie campaign, flashing elite vision for a player of his size—a skill that can likely be attributed to his time playing point guard in high school.

During this past NBA Summer League, Walker was thrust into a role as a primary scorer for Indiana. He showed flashes of being able to create for himself off the dribble and knock down the long ball, however, he likely won’t be expected to do much scoring—outside of spacing the floor—with the Pacers this upcoming season.

Despite all that, on the defensive end of the floor is where a bulk of Walker’s upside resides. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, Walker’s combination of length and athleticism gives the Pennsylvania native the potential to be an elite defensive stopper on the perimeter for years to come.

Still early into his career, Walker still has his fair share of head-scratching moments on the defensive side of the floor. He tends to gamble too often, and he is prone to biting on pump fakes. He’s also still learning how to utilize his size and strength on the defensive side of the floor. All of those things will continue to improve as Walker continues to develop as a player.

The Pacers should once again be competing for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs this upcoming season. Nonetheless, this is still a young team. A big part of this team’s nucleus—Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Walker too—are all 24 years of age or less. If Walker is truly a part of Indiana’s plans for the foreseeable future, the forward needs time on the court and perhaps even more importantly, he needs to be allowed to make mistakes. 

It’s a tough balance for head coach Rick Carlisle to strike, trying to sustain winning basketball, while also still allowing Walker and the other young guys to play through mistakes. However, keeping the future of the team in mind, Carlisle is going to have to find that balance. 

It doesn’t matter when or where the minutes come for Walker next season, it just matters that they do come and that they come with frequency.