Big 12 Basketball: Lottery Prospect Ja'Kobe Walter Shines Despite Baylor's Loss to Texas
Primer
Ja'Kobe Walter.
© John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
The monster that is Big 12 basketball has claimed yet another victim in this spree of upsets – this time, it was Texas pulling one over the ninth-ranked Baylor Bears at the Moody Center in Austin.
Well, Vegas wouldn’t call it an “upset” technically – they had the Longhorns favored by a couple of points. But Baylor was, is, and still will be ranked higher, even after the result.
Scott Drew’s Bears squad, led by two high-to-mid lottery picks in guard/wing Ja’Kobe Walter and forward/center Yves Missi, has legitimate national title aspirations, while Texas may struggle in postseason play.
The fact that the Longhorns still went out and won this game illustrates the beauty of college basketball. And while this piece is about how good a lottery-pick kind of player is, his team lost.
Isn’t it the best?
The Lead
Ja'Kobe Walter
© Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
The best player on the floor for a decent chunk of the game, Ja’Kobe Walter made his impact felt in multiple facets in his performance against Texas. The freshman wing went for 22 points, seven rebounds, and has now gone over five boards in his last three games each.
Though he wasn’t entirely efficient from the field (5-of-12 FG), he still managed to turn those 12 field goals into 22 points because of his ability to not only draw contact and get to the free-throw line, but also convert at over 85%. In today’s NBA, that’s a massively important skill, especially for a young player to get easy points and build confidence.
One encouraging characteristic of Walter's is that he is not totally reliant on other players’ setups to score, instead able to manufacture his own offense, occasionally using ball screens to do so. He has, in the past, typically needed to score on set plays (like after-timeout scenarios). He let it flow against Texas, with mostly positive results, including committing zero turnovers.
He can’t create his own shot at will per se, but he had a couple of really nice drives to the basket throughout the game and used other players’ positioning to his advantage. His basketball IQ is very high on both ends of the floor in certain aspects, which is always a ceiling-raiser.
Walter's Motor
Despite all of the impressive attributes from Walter, rebounding was what really popped overall. 6-foot-5 Ja'Kobe Walter, snagging seven boards while banging against Texas bigs like 6-foot-9 Dylan Disu and 6-foot-11 Kadin Shedrick, is really impressive. The physicality would have stuck out for any player, let alone a guard or wing.
He demonstrated his motor throughout the entire game, getting involved in every missed shot on both sides. He grabbed two of his own, but also tipped one offensive rebound to Langston Love, who then scored for another pair of Baylor second-chance points. Walter constantly attacked the glass, often putting himself in perfect position.
His physicality stands out. It's not just his stature – it's his mentality. Bringing that level of aggression leads to second chances. Walter is a talented enough player to skate by just scoring, but it is the small details that will get him even higher up on draft boards.
Creativity
Ja'Kobe Walter.
© Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Another thing he showed against Texas was some offensive creativity. He had a really nice pump fake against sophomore Chendall Weaver, a 6-foot-3 defensive-minded guard that played Walter most of the game. Though he did an admirable job for the most part, Walter fooled him on this move, getting him up in the air with a quick fake to draw the foul.
An additional example of this cleverness was the pump fake in transition at the end of the game, a move by which he drew a foul, leading to two clutch free throws. It’s a mature offensive play for a true freshman to avoid being rash and taking a rushed shot, as many would. Instead, he had the presence of mind to slow it down. Those two points kept Baylor right in it at the end.
Defense
Lastly, Ja’Kobe Walter’s defense was occasionally really impressive, and occasionally, really lacking. He spent time guarding Tyrese Hunter, a much older, savvier player, in front of whom he struggled to stay throughout.
Texas’ Hunter scored 21 points, including the final shot to win the game for the Longhorns. Though Walter showed some ability to react on help defense throughout, he was unable to impact the final play.
He absolutely had some flashes, though. Of his two steals in the game, one was on the perimeter, where he stole a pass from Weaver and took it back the other way, taking a foul in the process. As he does, he hit both free throws.
In Conclusion
Overall, Ja’Kobe Walter showed a lot of impressive ability in this game. He demonstrated an array of skills, from aggression on the glass, to catch-and-shoot scoring, to driving ability off the bounce. The combination of that with his very strong frame and size, athleticism, and length makes him an extremely attractive prospect to many teams picking in the top of the lottery.
These kinds of games separate players from the rest of their class. Walter wasn't perfect, but he was really, really good in certain areas over which scouts are salivating.
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