Raptors Projected to Take Intriguing Baylor Guard in 1st Round

The Toronto Raptors are projected to take Baylor's Ja'Kobe Walter with the No. 19 pick in the NBA Draft next week

Mar 22, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; Baylor Bears guard Ja'Kobe Walter (4) dribbles against Colgate Raiders guard Brady Cummins (1) during the first half of the NCAA Tournament First Round at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Ja'Kobe Walter like the quintessential scoring guard.

He's long and athletic with a picture-perfect shooting stroke and it's not hard to see why he was the No. 8 prospect in his high school class. He can light up the scoreboard in a hurry and was one of the quickest and most explosive players at the draft combine.

But it hasn't quite come together for the freshman from Baylor.

Walter shot just 37.6% from the floor and 34.1% from three-point range while averaging 14.5 points with nearly as many turnovers as assists last season. It's why NBA scouts are said to be split on the 6-foot-4.25 Walter who The Athletic says could fall to No. 19 as the newest member of the Toronto Raptors.

"He was an inconsistent shooter, although teams have few concerns about his long-term upside because his motion looks clean and he can make shots from a variety of situations. Teams, however, worry about everything else. Walter isn’t a lead guard because he doesn’t see the floor well as a passer. Defensively, Walter struggled at times to stay in front of players," wrote Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.

Walter, 19, is a developmental project.

He has the potential to be a versatile combo guard with playmaking potential who can nail pull-up jumpers and has the chance to grow into some shot-creation ability. He's unlikely to be a true point guard, but he should fit nicely as a two or a three on most teams with both on and off-ball abilities.

The risk with Walter is he just never quite puts it all together. He's never really been an efficient scorer and if he's a defensive liability who can't playmake very much he's going to have trouble seeing the court. He'll need to mature physically from his 198-pound frame and that should help him defensively, but so far he hasn't shown much as an on-ball stopper.

For Toronto, Walter is a little redundant with RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick, Immanuel Quickley, and potentially Gary Trent Jr. on the roster next year. That's a lot of guard depth without much size and defensive know-how and Walter isn't likely to change that.

That said, the Raptors aren't in a position where they should be drafting for need. If the organization views Walter as the high-upside prospect high school scouts once viewed him as there's no reason Toronto should avoid the Texan just because his fit may be a little clunky.