This season is supposed to be all about experimentation and development for the Indiana Pacers, but it hasn't fully worked out that way, particularly with their young players.
Isaiah Jackson was a big disappointment and failed to keep the Pacers' starting center job before they traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers. Bennedict Mathurin had an inconsistent season before he was also shipped out to Los Angeles. And fans were hoping to see more out of Ben Sheppard and Johnny Furphy (who was looking solid just before he suffered a season-ending ACL tear) in bigger roles this season.
For a while, a lot of that disappointment fell onto Jarace Walker as well. This season was going to finally be his chance to prove to the Pacers he could be a real contributor with a consistent role. However, like many of their other young players, he didn't have the best start to the season.
Luckily for the Pacers, the Houston alum is finally figuring things out and reminding them what this season is really supposed to be about.
Jarace Walker is finally showcasing his value in Indiana
Ever since Christmas, Walker has looked like a completely different player, and that's exactly what the Pacers were hoping for.
In his last 24 games, he averaged 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 48.6% from the field, 46.4% from deep, and overall looking way more comfortable on both sides of the ball. Additionally, he shot an incredible 50.8% from deep on 3.9 attempts per game in the month of January.
It's easy to forget just how young Walker is. He turned 22 years old in September, and he's the youngest player on Indiana's roster not named Furphy. Plus, while this is technically his third season in the NBA, in many ways, it's almost like his first or second. He had wildly inconsistent minutes throughout his first two seasons and then was suddenly tasked with doing everything earlier in the season.
Walker was always going to take on a bigger role this year, but with early-season injuries to Andrew Nembhard, Obi Toppin, Mathurin, and T.J. McConnell (who missed the first 10 games of the season due to a hamstring injury), he ended up biting off more than he could chew. And his play represented that.
With the Pacers mostly being healthy again and with everybody finding their groove, Walker is finally in a role that's better suited for him, and it's working wonders. At this point, his growth has been on display for a big enough sample size to believe it's the real deal. And with Mathurin no longer on the roster, he should have even more opportunities to raise his stock.
Walker is slowly becoming the real deal in Indiana. And it's only a matter of time before he puts the rest of the league on notice.