Jarace Walker getting more chances for Indiana Pacers as feel for the game improves

Walker has been much better of late

Feb 25, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forwards Obi Toppin (1) and Jarace Walker (5) celebrate a made basket. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS — After being out of the Indiana Pacers rotation for much of the season, rookie forward Jarace Walker has played in 12 of his team's past 17 games. And while at first he was needed due to injuries, Walker is now earning rotation minutes for the blue and gold.

The 20-year old was unproven early in the season. He would gamble often on defense, which left him out of position. Walker couldn't quite keep up with the speed of the game. His reads were too slow, so it was hard to involve him in actions on either end of the floor.

That is usually how things go for a first-year player in the NBA. Their first few appearances are full of ups and downs. Walker is growing past that. The eighth overall pick in the 2023 draft has been much more effective in his recent outings, and it is clear that he has made progress throughout the season.

"He gets better all the time," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Walker during his team's recent road trip. "More physical. Better understanding of leverage. More solid defensively. Learning what we need from him offensively. Just working at the adjustments."

Walker started to get more opportunities as injuries piled up. In late February, both Aaron Nesmith and Doug McDermott were sidelined for the blue and gold. Walker grabbed spot minutes during that stretch, including 26:41 of playing time in New Orleans on March 1.

Nesmith returned around that time, but then the Pacers lost reserve ball handler Bennedict Mathurin for the season. The team still needed Walker to play, and sometimes play often. He was going to be in the rotation a few times.

Some nights, it looked rocky. In Orlando earlier this month, for example, the Houston product played for just three minutes in a win. In other games, though, Walker added a ton of value. He defended DeMar DeRozan when Indiana hosted Chicago earlier this month, and he was solid when the Minnesota Timberwolves came to Indianapolis a few days prior.

Walker acknowledged after that outing against the Bulls that his confidence level has risen. Between playing more often and having more important assignments, it's clear that Indiana trusts him to contribute in ways that they didn't earlier in the season, and Walker is more self-assured with those roles.

"The confidence comes from the work you put in every single day," Walker said that night. He had 10 points and four rebounds, and the Pacers outscored the Bulls by 14 in his minutes. He frequently was given the assignment of containing DeRozan, something that wouldn't have been an option in the first few months of this campaign.

"If I was guarding DeMar early in the season, I probably would have fouled out," the rookie said after the game. He can feel his progress.

Walker played for almost 10 minutes in the Pacers next game when they hosted the Brooklyn Nets, and his opportunities continued as the blue and gold embarked on a road trip over the past week. The five-game, eight-day trek was going to be taxing. Reserves were going to play and be relied on during that stretch.

That became even more true on Monday when Nesmith was dealing with a knee injury and missed Indiana's tilt with the LA Clippers. It was the second night of a back-to-back for the Pacers. Walker was going to be needed on the wing, and often.

He was up for the task. The Baltimore native played for 29:23, a career high in minutes. He defended star players like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George without making too many mistakes. All of his shots went in — he finished with eight points on 3/3 shooting.

Walker also added four rebounds and a career-high seven assists. He was reading the game well, and the Pacers couldn't take him off the floor. He played the entire second quarter and started the second half after not opening the game for the team. Carlisle couldn't afford to get Walker off the floor and lose his effectiveness.

The 20-year old told AllPacers in Detroit that the game is finally slowing down for him. "For sure. I feel like early on, the game was a lot faster than I anticipated," He said. Now, with more minutes, he can feel what is going on more effectively.

Everything is easier when the game slows down, which Walker explained in more detail. "I think it's just like the literal speed. You can watch it, but I feel like until you're out there, the speed that players go at, the intensity that they go is a different level," he shared. He believes his offensive reads are better and his recognition of various patterns on the defensive end have improved. He doesn't have to think as much.

"I feel like the more time out there, I just kind of try to hoop, play my game," he said. The more the rookie plays, the more confident he feels, and Walker believes he has gained the trust of his teammates.

Since Mathurin's season-ending injury, Walker is averaging 3.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Those numbers aren't eye-popping, but they are improvements and are coming far more consistently. He's also been much better on the defensive end and is shooting 40% from deep in that stretch.

In a season full of ups and downs, Jarace Walker is finally turning a corner. During the Pacers last game — a road loss to the Chicago Bulls — Walker was in the playing rotation despite both McDermott and Nesmith being healthy. He had an off night, but that was the first time that substitution pattern happened all season.

"He's going to be a tremendous player for us," Carlisle said of Walker. The lottery pick is starting to show flashes of being that contributor.

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