Early Returns: Takeaways from Jarace Walker's First Two Collegiate Games

Jarace Walker enters the season as a lottery pick on a talented Houston team geared for a national title run. What are the key takeaways from his first two collegiate games that saw him average 15.5 points and 10 rebounds?

Defensive Playmaking

With his size, length and athleticism, one of the main draws to Walker is his defensive versatility and playmaking. He’s expected to be a disruptive, swiss army knife type of defender that can provide some weak side shot blocking and we're seeing some of that already.

At 1.5 stocks per game (1 steal and 0.5 blocks), the number is solid, but not eye-popping. I’m hoping the stocks go up a bit as we get deeper into the season considering his defensive tools. However, as we know, numbers don't tell the whole story of a prospect’s ability and production. Walker will continue to make plays like the below that won't go into the box score. His effective double team forces the turnover, something that is absolutely noticed, but does not go into the box scores. I’m expecting plenty more of these types of plays to go along with the highlight blocks and generated turnovers.

Touch Flashes

Walker’s touch came and went throughout the first two games, which is expected and completely normal. The second game of course is the hope for the norm where he buried a couple of threes and displayed soft touch flashes around the rim with a couple of floaters and a jump hook as he confidently got to his spots. Those touch flashes are finesse finishes that can develop into an awesome complement to his power at and around the rim. Additionally, they are positive indicators of shooting development.

Encouraging Three-Point Shooting Volume

The biggest swing skill for Walker is his three-point shooting. Walker has attempted eight three-pointers (four in each game), connecting on two for a 25 percent mark. He doesn't necessarily need to become a great shooter, but must hit enough to keep defenses honest.

After missing all of his attempts in the first against Northern Colorado, I was encouraged about the volume, but was curious to see how he would respond in the next game versus St. Joseph’s. Would he hesitate to shoot? Pass up any open looks? Take less shots? It was none of those! Walker buried his first shot of the game, a catch-and-shoot corner three. He would go on to hit another three, forcing defenders to respect his shotmaking, which allowed him to attack closeouts and get downhill where he thrives. Walker’s three point volume, percentage, types of misses and reactions/adjustments by the defense to his shooting should all be tracked.

Volume Rebounding

Walker has been very active on both sides of the glass, averaging 10 rebounds per game with 4.5 offensive rebounds. In total, he’s pulled down 11 defensive rebounds to 9 offensive. His glass cleaning is ending possessions for opponents and generating second chance points opportunities for himself and teammates. The offensive rebound numbers probably aren't sustainable, but his rebounding as a wing and small ball 5 will be valuable to NBA teams. 

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