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