Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle hopes to see motor, rebounding, defense from Jarace Walker this summer

Walker is entering his second season

Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker goes through a postgame interview after suiting up for the G League's Indiana Mad Ants (Mandatory Photo Credit: Pacers on SI) /

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker is about to enter an important second season. His potential is massive, and his ability to reach it could be a defining event of the Pacers current era. He's still 20 years old, and his skill set would be a terrific addition for the blue and gold.

Walker is about to suit up for his second summer league, during which he will play on the wing for the blue and gold. He hopes to show progress, particularly on defense and on the glass, after a busy summer full of on-court work.

"I just want to continue to grow and develop my game. And I feel like this is the perfect opportunity to do it," Walker said of summer league.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle talked about the young forward often last season. There was a ton of curiosity surrounding the lottery pick and his development, and Carlisle detailed it. Between multiple stops in the G League and late season successes, the Houston product did show growth. But he also had moments with a lack of discipline on defense and inconsistent play on offense. He appeared in 33 games.

Recently, the head coach did an interview on 107.5 The Fan's morning show, The Wake Up Call, where he was asked to detail his conversations with Walker during the offseason. Carlisle had a lot to say about Walker's progress and summer, calling those discussions upbeat.

"Hard play," Carlise began when detailing what his offseason conversations with Walker have been about. "I think it's something that's so important to get across with young players. He came into this season with expectations, and we had some really honest conversations with him during the year. But we had even more of them after the season. And I think the expectation was that he was just going to be given an opportunity or granted an opportunity," the head coach continued. He went on to share more about how his philosophy last season was about players earning their playing time, something he discussed often in the lead up to, and during, the season. Players who performed well, did their job, and battled on defense would earn playing time.

"When the season was over, we talked to him about getting back in the gym here in Indy, preferably, and getting to work on gaining a level of conditioning that was going to be his best ever," Carlisle continued. "He got back in the gym for three straight weeks. And Jim Boylen was the guy that worked with him individually." Boylen, a Pacers assistant coach, works with young bigs often. Last season, the veteran coach spent the offseason helping Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith. Carlisle explained that those sessions were about doing "hard things" and doing them often.

Jackson and Smith both went on to have career seasons in 2023-24. Smith got paid by the Chicago Bulls this offseason while Jackson was in the postseason rotation for the Pacers. Carlisle likened the summer sessions with Boylen to a football training camp, and Walker just went through something similar. Boylen is currently working with the Team USA Select Team.

"We suggested that Jarace do the same thing with Jim. He did it for three weeks. And now he's in training camp for summer league," Carlisle said. "And here's the truth. Positional size is such an important part of defending at a high level in the NBA. We put it out there to him that if he can demonstrate that he can play with a high motor, high level of physicality, that he can rebound, and that he can take on a defensive matchup, he's a guy that can be a factor in our rotation and perhaps even a major factor. But this is not just words. This is going to be a lot of work."

Carlisle went on to talk more about how physicality and rebounding will be vital for Walker, particularly in summer league play. The head coach noted that if Walker displays a certain list of skills during the summer sessions, he'll have a chance to play this season.

The head coach also talked about Walker's natural gifts as a player — the radio interview wasn't only about the things the young forward needs to work on. Feel, shooting, and vision were the highlights of that part of the discussion.

"This is a very important summer for him. I'm watching it very closely, we're watching it very closely," Carlisle said. "He's done his part so far. But we're really at the beginning for this."

Carlisle ended the chat about the young forward by saying he doesn't care how many points Walker scores in summer league or how many assists he has. He wants to see motor, physical play, and rebounding while running hard and out-conditioning his opponents. That would be a successful summer league for Indiana's number eight overall pick in 2023.

The entire conversation can be found here. Walker and the Pacers begin summer league play tomorrow.

---

• The Indiana Pacers gave Pascal Siakam no reason to leave, and now he has a new home. CLICK HERE.
• Johnny Furphy thinks his maturity, off-ball movement, and motivation will make him a good fit with the Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• Jarace Walker is preparing to play on the wing in summer league ahead of an important second season with Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard makes Team Canada 2024 Olympic roster. CLICK HERE.
• Follow AllPacers on Facebook: All Pacers SI
• Follow AllPacers on Twitter: @SIPacers