The Indiana Pacers need Jarace Walker now as they look to navigate through life without Tyrese Haliburton (for a season) and Myles Turner. Walker is poised to break out with this new opportunity, and he may be able to prove the fans who believed in him right all along.
Rick Carlisle gave Walker some time to develop as he mostly rode the bench through the first two seasons of his career, but he has a great chance to make waves this season.
Furthermore, The Ringer's Bill Simmons is high on his game, and it could be a great way for the team to plant a flag on him heading into the season.
"I've always liked Jarace Walker. ... I really want to see what happens with him," Simmons said.
Walker was drafted with the eighth overall pick in 2023. However, despite being such a high draft pick, the Pennsylvania native has not had the greatest start to his NBA career. This is largely due to him getting inconsistent opportunities and being a bit of a wild card even when he's on the court.
Through two seasons in Indiana, Walker is averaging 5.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 14.1 minutes while shooting 45.7% from the field and 40.4% from deep.
Furthermore, the Houston alum has been wildly inconsistent and has looked lost on the court at times, particularly on defense. However, he has shown flashes of potential so far, and it is fair to assume he can find his groove with more playing time. Fortunately for him, that is exactly what he will get this season, and it could be enough to solidify him as the Pacers' next breakout star.
Jarace Walker has what it takes to be a major contributor in Indiana
There is a lot to like about Walker and what he brings to the Pacers.
Arguably his biggest appeal is his physicality, which allows him to stand out on the Pacers' roster and could be what establishes him as a major player with the team. Or, at least that's what general manager Chad Buchanan believes.
"The biggest parts of Jarace's growth [are] gonna be his consistent playing with force," Buchanan said. "I think you see stretches of that where he's playing where he's attacking the rim, where he's active defensively, where he's gobbling up defensive rebounds. Then you'll see stretches where he's very timid, and he plays more of a little floater game rather than getting all the way to the rim. We've stressed to him a lot of 'you need to play with this amount of aggressiveness and amount of attacking nature."'
Additionally, Walker is incredibly versatile, which should bode well for his Pacers future.
He can play both forward positions, but perhaps most importantly, he can play small-ball center. As the team looks to find its replacement for Turner, it will experiment a bit with the center situation. He is not going to be a long-term answer at the position, but this should open up another opportunity for Walker to showcase his value on the court.
It is also important to note that Walker is just 22 years old. He still has a lot of room to grow and should only help raise the Pacers' ceiling as he develops and finds his groove with the team.
There will be a lot of Pacers who will be tasked with stepping up next season. This will especially include players like Andrew Nembhard (who will have to replace Haliburton for a season) and Bennedict Mathurin (who, in a way, will have to replace Nembhard this season). However, Walker is another key player to keep an eye on as he looks to make an impact with the team.
Fans know exactly what Walker is capable of. He just hasn't been able to fully showcase it. Fortunately for him and the fanbase, the 6-foot-8 forward is in line for the biggest role of his career yet, and there are reasons to believe that he is ready to finally break out.