Raptors Select High-Upside Guard Out of Baylor with No. 19 Pick

The Toronto Raptors have selected Baylor freshman guard Ja'Kobe Walter with the No. 19 pick in the NBA Draft

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Ja'Kobe Walter arrives for the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors have added to the core.

Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Gradey Dick will now be joined by Baylor freshman Ja'Kobe Walter who joins Toronto as the No. 19 pick in Wednesday's NBA draft.

Player Profile

Walter was a five-star prospect coming out of high school and widely considered one of the most offensively talented players in the 2023 class.

Had everything gone as planned this past season, Walter likely would have been a top lottery pick and one of the first few guards off the board.

But things didn't exactly go as expected for the 6-foot-4.25 guard.

Walter struggled with his shooting stroke this past season, averaging 14.5 points on 37.6% shooting while connecting on just 34.1% of his three-point shots. In flashes, there were moments of brilliance. The 19-year-old showed off impressive pull-up skills at times and looked the part as an offensive creator in spurts. It just never quite came together for Walter who had an assist-to-turnover of 1.4-to-1.3 for the Bears this past season and didn't quite live up to expectations.

Upside Pick

The hope for Toronto is this past season was just a blip for an otherwise talented prospect who just needs a little more refining at the next level.

Walter tested as one of the fastest players at the draft combine and measured with good leaping ability. He's not necessarily the most athletic or strongest player in the draft, but his athleticism shouldn't be an issue moving forward.

Expect Toronto to give Walter developmental opportunities in the G League next season with the hope that he can be a contributor down the road for the organization.

Defensive Questions

Ideally, Walter develops into a 3-and-D wing for Toronto but he'll have work to do on the defensive end to get to that level. He's a little undersized to go up against some NBA forwards and will have to work on his lateral quickness to hold his own on the perimeter.

In moments, Walter showed he can be a tough on-ball defender who is willing to get into opposing guards, but he'll have to develop his defensive IQ with the Raptors to become an adequate defender moving forward.

Raptors Fit

Toronto had been looking for a backup point guard, defensive wing, and center and Walter doesn't quite fit into any of those categories. He should give the Raptors another shot creating guard, but this looks like a best-player-available type of pick for Toronto more so than one based on fit.

More to come

Draft Notes

• It was a pair of Frenchmen who opened the draft with Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr going back-to-back at No. 1 and 2 to the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards, respectively.

• There'd been plenty of trade speculation surrounding Houston's No. 3 pick but the Rockets opted to stand pat and selected Kentucky's sharpshooter Reed Sheppard with the third pick.

• The first surprise of the draft came at No. 5 when the Detroit Pistons took Ron Holland II who'd been expected to slide later in the first round. Holland had been the No. 1 prospect coming out of high school but had an inconsistent season in the G League this past year.

• UConn's Donovan Clingan slid a little further than expected, falling to No. 7 where the Portland Trail Blazers nabbed their big man of the future.

• Toronto's original pick at No. 8 was flipped by San Antonio to the Minnesota Timberwolves who selected Kentuck guard Rob Dillingham. San Antonio acquired a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap from Minnesota for Dillingham.

• Zach Edey didn't have to wait long to hear his name called. The 7-foot-4 Canadian center came off the board at No. 9 when the Memphis Grizzlies selected the two-time collegiate player of the year award winner.

• The surprise faller of the night was Tennessee's Daulton Knecht who fell to No. 17 where the Los Angeles Lakers scooped him up with their first-round pick.

Draft Order:

No. 1: Atlanta Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher

No. 2: Washington Wizards: Alex Sarr

No. 3: Houston Rockets: Reed Sheppard

No. 4: San Antonio Spurs: Stephon Castle

No. 5: Detroit Pistons: Ron Holland II

No. 6: Charlotte Hornets: Tidjane Salaun

No. 7: Portland Trail Blazers: Donovan Clingan

No. 8: San Antonio Spurs: Rob Dillingham

No. 9: Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Edey

No. 10: Utah Jazz: Cody Williams

No. 11: Chicago Bulls: Matas Buzelis

No. 12: Oklahoma City Thunder: Nikola Topic

No. 13: Sacramento Kings: Devin Carter

No. 14: Washington Wizards: Bub Carrington

No. 15: Miami Heat: Kel'el Ware

No. 16: Philadelphia 76ers: Jared McCain

No. 17: Los Angeles Lakers: Dalton Knecht

No. 18: Orlando Magic: Tristan da Silva