With Tyrese Haliburton at the helm, the Indiana Pacers are set up beautifully for the future, and they added to their pile of assets this summer when they drafted Jarace Walker with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Walker spent one year at Houston where he finished second on the team in scoring, second in rebounds, and tied for first in blocks. The 6-foot-8 forward is ready to fight for the starting power forward spot in Indiana.
Guys like Obi Toppin and Jalen Smith will fight with Walker for the spot, but the rookie’s upside could win out as the team will undoubtedly be looking to develop him into a star.
But as is the case with all rookies, there’s no guarantee Walker ends up being as great as the team hopes. Let’s take a look at one worst-case, one realistic, and one dream player comparison for the Pacers rookie.
1 Worst-case, 1 realistic, 1 dream player comparison for Pacers’ Jarace Walker: Worst-case comparison – Terrence Jones
With Walker’s skillset, it seems unlikely that he will end up being completely useless at the NBA level, as he has the frame and build of a solid player, but becoming Terrence Jones would be a disappointment.
Jones didn’t spend a long time in the NBA, but he enjoyed some successful seasons with the Houston Rockets. He averaged 10+ points in three different seasons across the course of his six-year stint in the league.
The 6-foot-9 power forward was a key rotation piece on some of the early James Harden-led Houston Rockets teams, earning 20+ minutes per game in the postseason.
That said, if Walker turned into Jones, the Pacers would be less than thrilled. They almost certainly have higher hopes for the eighth pick in the draft. (Jones was selected 18th overall in 2012.)
1 Worst-case, 1 realistic, 1 dream player comparison for Pacers’ Jarace Walker: Realistic comparison – Aaron Gordon
After spending the first part of his career wasting away on the Orlando Magic, Aaron Gordon finally found a perfect home on the Denver Nuggets, and he was a huge part of their championship run this past year.
Walker’s frame and athletic ability seem very comparable to Gordon’s, though he would have to improve a bit on the defensive end to reach the level of the Nuggets forward.
The Pacers rookie also has a bit more of an interior scoring game than Gordon, but at the NBA level, while playing next to Tyrese Haliburton, Walker could strive to be a bit more effective off the ball, too.
Gordon just wrapped up the best season of his career in Denver. In 68 appearances with the Nuggets, he averaged 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 56.4% from the field and 34.7% from distance.
Like Walker, Gordon isn’t the best three-point shooter, but he’s serviceable from range and makes up for his lack of a consistent jump shot with elite athleticism and off-ball timing.
Indiana was reportedly interested in trading for a defensive-minded forward this summer, but if Walker could turn into a Gordon-type player, that need would be filled.
1 Worst-case, 1 realistic, 1 dream player comparison for Pacers’ Jarace Walker: Dream comparison – Shawn Marion
While he was never the best player on his team, Shawn Marion was the definition of an elite-level role player in the NBA. He was a great second or third option on great playoff teams for many years.
Perhaps best known for his time with the Phoenix Suns, Marion was one of the leading scorers on the Steve Nash MVP squads that made back-to-back runs to the Western Conference finals.
Jarace Walker’s mix of interior presence along with his top-notch athleticism make Marion a solid comparison, and if that’s what the rookie ends up being, the Pacers would be ecstatic.
Over the course of his 16-year NBA career, Marion made four All-Star teams, two All-NBA teams, and won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.
Despite not making any All-Defensive teams, Marion was a great player on that end of the floor, too, holding career averages of 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Marion was never known for his three-point shooting, but at his best, he shot 38.7% from distance on 4.5 attempts per game in the 2002-03 season. If Walker could reach that level, Indiana would be thrilled.
The former Sun and Maverick is an ideal comparison for a guy who will be sharing the frontcourt with Myles Turner.