NBA Draft: 5 intriguing 2nd round picks

Jabari Walker

Jabari Walker is a 19 year old (almost 20) small forward/power forward who stands at 6’6.75″ without shoes, 6’8 with shoes, and has a 6’10.75″ wingspan. He averaged 14.6 pts, 9.4 rebs, and 1.2 asts at Colorado this past season.

Jabari’s first scrimmage at the combine he went 6-9 (2-3 from behind the arc) for 16 points and added 7 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, and 2 blks. In his second scrimmage, he went 6-13 for 12 points and added 7 rebs, 1 ast, and 1 stl.

After the combine, Jabari received rave reviews and decided to stay in the draft instead of going back to school for another season.

As a freshman at Colorado, Jabari played in 26 games (started none) and averaged 7.6 points a game while shooting 53% from the floor and 52% from behind the arc. It was a small sample size, but he made 70 out of 133 shots (23 out of 44 from behind the arc).

This past season, Jabari’s shooting percentages dropped, 46% from the floor and 35% from behind the arc, while his minutes, rebounds, and points went up.

Why the drop in percentage points? Brooke Davis might have the answer.

As a freshman, Walker played only 14 minutes a night, never seeing a spot in Colorado’s starting five. Still, he managed to thrive in his smaller offensive role, tallying over 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest on stellar 52.6/52.3/77.8 shooting splits!

In his second season, though, the Buffaloes made Walker a full-time starter and their primary scoring option, a role which hurt his impressive shooting efficiency. Colorado’s head coach Tad Boyle primarily used Jabari as an off-ball shooter who ran around pin-down screens to get open. The problem with Boyle’s offensive game plan was that Walker was an ineffective shooter when his feet weren’t completely set – a problem any screen-running shooter can have. And with limited offensive threats on the Buffaloes’ roster, Jabari was forced to try and create the majority of his team’s offense, which resulted in a large number of forced missed shots and turnovers.

But Walker has shown that he can be reliable from deep when given the role of a spot-up shooter from the corner. Even with a down shooting year, Walker managed to knock down just under 40% of his 2.5 attempts from deep during his time in Boulder. 

Davis goes on to say:

While he won’t wow you with his superb shot-blocking or playing of passing lanes, Walker will play great defense. He showcased a high defensive-IQ, both as a point-of-attack defender and as a weak-side rim protector.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Walker is moving up some draft boards. He can defend, though he does make mistakes, and he can knock down the 3 when he’s stationary. Jabari is an ideal 3 and D prospect who can be a spot up shooter, rebound, and defend.

At this point in his development, Jabari won’t create for others and won’t take his opponent off the dribble, but he could have a long NBA career as a 3 and D role player.

If you want to see Walker play, you can watch him play against Arizona here.