The Indiana Pacers are expecting big things from Jarace Walker this season. He was the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and wasn't ready to play right away. This year's Summer League is a chance for him to show that he deserves a spot in the rotation.
Walker won't be playing at the power forward spot this season with Obi Toppin returning to back up Pascal Siakam. Rick Carlisle and the Pacers coaching staff are hoping that he can play at the small forward spot instead. In order to do that, he has some improvement to do.
The coaching staff wanted him to improve his decision-making. He's done a better job of that in his first two Summer League games. They also wanted him to improve his shooting. He showed that in his second game against the Timberwolves on Sunday.
Things that the Pacers still need Jarace Walker to improve on
While Walker had a good shooting performance on Sunday from beyond the arc, he went 5/11, his shot choice could have been better. After he hit a few threes early on, he fell in love with it too much. He stopped going to the rim where he was effective in the first Summer League matchup.
Walker's handle also needs to be better. He can't dribble well enough to create space for his own shot. It's tough for him to get into a midrange shot that he can make because too many times the ball is getting taken from him. He has to tighten that up if he wants a rotation spot.
Walker also needs to clean up his turnovers in general. Getting a better handle will help with that, but he also tries some passes that shouldn't be attempted. A lot of that is because he hasn't played much. He just needs time on the court to get the kinks out in his game.
Overall, Summer League has been good for Walker so far. He's shown just enough to justify a spot in the rotation, albeit with limited minutes to start out. He still has three more Summer League games to show that he deserves even more playing time in the regular season.