Tale of the Tape: Jabari Walker

Jabari Walker is the latest addition to the Colorado Buffaloes. BuffsCountry takes a look at the tape.

Jabari Walker is a 6-foot-8 forward that was a late bloomer on the recruiting circuit. 

He committed to CU over St. Mary's and California on Tuesday. He will join a freshman class of Dominique Clifford and Luke O'Brien, as well as Keeshawn Barthelemy who redshirted this season. 

Walker has grown about three inches over the last year making him a hot commodity to division one coaches.

Walker played for the AAU team Dream Vision, a team that had previously produced Tyler Bey, Evan Battey and Namon Wright.

He also played the last season at AZ Compass Prep, a prep school in the Phoenix area. He has played against very high-level competition over the last year.

When BuffsCountry turned on the tape, a few things jumped out.

The first is he plays with high energy, leading into his motor and ultimately making him a really good defender.

There was one game in a prep tournament where he was named player of the game while only scoring six points. That’s because he had 15 rebounds, five blocks, three steals and two assists.

When his game isn’t on offensively, he can still impact the game in a lot of ways.

Walker does a lot of really good things defensively. He understands how to utilize his length to get in the way of passing lanes and driving lanes.

His combination of length and athleticism makes him a problem on and off the ball.

Walker’s film shows a nice ability to be able to track rebounds and catch them at his peak.

On the offensive side of the ball, Walker is still very raw. Although he does display a high basketball IQ and sees the floor well. He is an above-average passer for his age and position.

He can finish with both his left or right when going to the hoop but will benefit by getting a little stronger when he has to drive against Pac-12 defenders.

As he gets stronger he will need to develop a better inside scoring game but he shows he can knock down shots from the outside. He has good body control when getting to the basket.

Overall, this is a great pickup for Tad Boyle. Walker is still a bit raw, but as he develops, especially on the offensive end, he will have a very high ceiling.

This is a guy that will become a significant contributor down the road especially if he continues his defensive prowess. 

Checkout BuffsCountry's exclusive interview with Walker here.