Jarace Walker: 6'6.5" 248 lbs 7'2.5" wingspan 11.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.3 bpg, 1.0 spg, 46.5% fg%, 34.7% 3%, 66.2% ft%

Jarace Walker is a big bodied forward capable of playing multiple spots on the front line offensively and defensively. He is an impressive defender with fascinating traits to be developed on the offensive end.

Strengths:

• Huge build that is rare. Few players have the height, weight, wingspan measurements he possesses and nearly all of them are very good. (Kawhi, OG Anunoby, Tari Eason).

• He couples traits with a hunger to get stops and is an impressive defender.

• Very good passer. Hugely underrated.

• Shooting form looks solid on the catch and he shows flashes of self-creation for a veteran laden team that was a 1 seed.

• Shot 41% on catch and shoot looks.

• Good finisher attacking the rim. Uses both power and agility to finish through or around defenders.

• At Houston, he has improved his shooting mechanics as compared to high school, where he often faced up to attack the hoop at IMG.

• Defends as both a switchable defender as well as a secondary rim protector which so many teams covet.

• Demonstrated good touch on floaters and hook shots.

Areas of concern:

• Taking him high in the draft relies heavily on upside that has yet to be proven as a top option at any level.

• His handle is loose. Takes risks dribbling and passing into crowds.

• Largely hasn't shown he is a good shooter despite vastly improved form. Shoots only 66% from the charity stripe and typically good shooters shoot over 73% in college.

Swing Skills: If Jarace Walker can shoot above league average (36%) from 3 early in his career, I believe that will open up the floor for him to use his physical traits to dominate by putting pressure on the rim, creating for himself and his teammates.

Strengths

• Physical specimen - going to be one of the heaviest kids in the NBA (6'7, 250 lbs)

• Apparently held opponents to 37/131 shooting (28%), 2/24 off-the-dribble (8%) according to Synergy Sports

Weaknesses

• Will be a huge effort to build his game offensively, but since his defense is so good he will have a lot of opportunities

• Needs to work on FT (66%)

Tier: Long-Term Starter

Player Comparisons: John Collins, Paul Millsap

Jarace Walker is arguably the best Power Forward in the draft. He's versatile and can play the 4 or the 5. He's got a reasonable frame and is extremely strong. He can guard almost anyone and is a great rim protector. He can play both perimeter and interior defense. If you're defending him, it'll be a long day. He can easily bully his way to the hoop and is excellent in the paint on both ends. He's constantly improving. He's got great speed. He has a decent jump shot, and for his position and size, he's got a lot of potential as a shooter. He's a great midrange shooter and a solid 3-point shooter.

• AAC Freshman of the Year (2023)

• #10 NCAA Defensive Rating (87.1)

• Height w/o shoes: 6'6.5"

• Wingspan: 7'2.5" (7th longest in draft class)

• Max vertical leap: 38.0 (9th highest in draft class)

• Standing vertical leap: 34.5 (3rd highest in draft class)

• 3 quarter sprint: 3.20 seconds (10th fastest in draft class)

• Houston went 33-4 in 2022-23, and lost in the 3rd round of the NCAA Tournament (#1 seed).

Bio: Houston, September 4, 2003 (19), 6’6.5”, 249 lb, Forward

Stats:

Strengths:

• Aggressive defense

• Big and strong

• Good touch on floaters

• Good shot mechanics

• Blossoming shot creator

Weaknesses:

• Doesn’t get to the rim much

• Tends to rely on size over skill

• Not totally consistent from deep

Rundown:

Jarace is a big, strong young player who prioritizes defense. His hounding presence on that side of the court is never fun for opposing players. He bothers with his size, and gets into passing lanes. Throughout the season he began showing more of what he could do on the offensive side of the ball. This includes but doesn’t limit to floaters, catch and shoot threes, and solid decision making.

Shades of: ???? (help me out)

19.8 year-old 6'8 PF/C/SF. Versatile Lockdown Defender. For someone built like a tank, Jarace has shocking agility and vertical bounce. His strength allows him to bully his way to the basket against smaller defenders and hold his own in the post against true centers. Matched up against bigger and stronger defenders, Jarace is good at using his quickness to get around them. His midrange game is solid and his 3 point shot is promising. The versatility that Jarace offers an NBA team on both ends of the floor make him a high-level prospect. While he is often considered "safe" because it is easy to imagine how he could impact winning in the NBA tomorrow, Jarace also has a very high ceiling if he can become a consistent jump shooter and tighten his handle.

Strengths:

+++Frame/Build

+++Strength

++Versatility

++Athleticism

+Awareness/Vision

+Shooting

Weaknesses:

--Offensive Bag

-Lateral Quickness

-Handles

Shades Of:

Paul Millsap, Julius Randle, Chris Webber

Ceiling: All-Star, 2-Way Jack of All Trades

Floor: Starter, Defensive Lockdown

Team Fit:

With Jarace's versatility on both ends of the floor, he could fit in to many team systems. A team may be more eager to draft Jarace if they're in need of defense, especially in the post. Jarace can't be left wide-open from 3, but he won't be considered a true floor spacing threat on day 1 in the NBA, so it may be good to pair him with front court shooting ability.

Best fits within range: OKC, Indiana, Portland, Detroit, Washington

OFFENSE At his size his ball handling and ability to drive at the rim and finish there in a variety of ways is special Complex ball handling moves he uses Shows flashes of passing Very good passer sees a lot of hard passes that may be off just a little but still tries them a lot Can grab rebound and go and played SOME point for IMG Needs to work on his left (off) hand finishing Shot looks bad there is potential to work with Great instincts as a rebounder great nose for the ball Might struggle but doesn’t back down and his great hands and strength help Very good at Kevin love Hitaheads Averaged 4ast a game in HS Very fun transition player Threat to dribble to the rim and finish with power and finesse And also pass OTD too As a passer had lots of freedom sometimes tried home run passes too much risking too much He ll need to take care of the ball Him operating as a DHO fulcrum and short roll decision maker is going to be great Have a great turnaround fadeaway good footwork good touch midrange looks smooth he is quite comfortable Has some things to clean up But also some great flashes He has great touch around the rim ON FLOATERS At FTs 74% pretty good has good touch and enter quite smoothly Handle is pretty pretty good has in an outs and some shiftyness WHAT DOES HE DO GREAT AT NBA LEVEL ON OFFENSE? CAN ATTACK CLOSEOUTS IF SHOT IS RESPECTED AND HAS GOOD PASSING SKILLS GOOD READS IN SHORT ROLL AND BALL MOVEMENT TOO PASSIVE ON OFFENSE , FALLS IN LOVE WITH FLOATER GOOD CUTTER FROM OUTSIDE AND DUNKER SPOT FLASHES, ONLY FLASHES, OF TURNAROUNDS LOW VOLUME FROM 3 BUT IMPRESSIVE PROGRESS

DEFENSE Can switch a lot competently Can switch easily and has great lateral movement for his size Good defensive playmaker always in help position but seems aware of where his man is at all time Good weak side shot blocker Doesn’t project as a FULL TIME small ball 5 in NBA but can surely do it for a while in switch heavy lineups Phisical good footwork good lateral agility Great hands Huge individual that moves laterally really well for his size GREAT REBOUNDER IN GENERAL more defensively than offensively Not 100% comfortable in drop coverage Struggled a bit with 7 footers Probably he is not a full time 5 GREAT AT SWITCHING,GREAT QUICKNESS E LATERAL AGILITY ,FLUID HIPS Walker has mostly been used as a disruptive and reliable team defender for Houston GREAT WEAK SIDE RIM PROTECTOR GREAT TIMING AND AWARENESS, GOOD AT ROTATING Jarace Walker’s combination of size, strength, IQ, and mobility is rare MAYBE CAN IMPROVE SCREEN NAVIGATION