2024 NBA Draft: Breaking Down Baylor Wing Ja’Kobe Walter

Measurements and Background

Ja’Kobe Walter stands at 6-foot-5 with shoes on and has an unofficial 6-foot-10 wingspan while weighing 195 pounds. His primary position will be shooting guard and his secondary position will be small forward in the NBA.

He played in one year at Baylor and was the top scoring option for the Bears. Walter was born on September 4, 2004. Coming out of high school, he was a consensus top-ten prospect in the 2023 senior class, as the former five-star prospect played for Link Academy in the 2022-2023 season en route to a national championship. Walter was looked at as one of the best scoring players in all of high school basketball during his time with Link Academy.

2023-2024 Season Stats

This season in a total of 35 games played, Walter averaged 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.2 blocks, 1.3 turnovers and 2.1 fouls while playing 32.3 minutes per contest. He shot 37.6% from the field, 79.2% from the free-throw line, 42.3% from inside the arc and 34.1% from deep.

When it comes to the positive upside, his ability to get to the free-throw line is quite impressive with a high free-throw attempt rate at 47.8%. He also does a great job of limiting his turnovers with how much he had the ball in his hands at Baylor as he only averaged 1.3 turnovers per game.

When it comes to things that should be considered when evaluating him, his inefficiency is pretty concerning as he shot 37.6% from the field and 42.3% inside the arc. His struggles to stay efficient from the floor may limit his true ceiling as a primary scorer for an NBA team and could force him into a scoring role off the bench for a team.

Strengths

Walter is a great shot-making wing that has the ability to convert on very difficult pull-up jumpers. His calling card in the NBA will be his ability to put the ball in the basket. The 6-foot-5 wing is a score-first player that’s comfortable pulling-up from just about anywhere on the floor. An underrated skill he possesses is his ability to draw fouls as he has a very good free-throw rate percentage compared to other prospects at his position.

There’s a valid argument to be made that Walter is the best all-around shooter in this year’s draft. The Baylor Bear wing only shot 34% from behind the arc but the eye test and free-throw percentage suggest he’s much better 3-point shooter than what his percentage showed this season. He’s a great movement shooter who can fly off of screens and be fully ready to shoot. Walter excels as a shooter off the catch due to his quick release, great shot preparation and phenomenal shooting touch. His floor spacing ability will complement star players in the NBA so well.

Walter is a solid perimeter defender that has good size and length for a wing. Although he had some down moments on defense this season, he showed some promise on that end of the floor. The 6-foot-5 wing has the potential to be a legit 3-and-D wing which will help him find a spot on an NBA team if he doesn’t reach his ceiling as a scorer. Walter has the frame to add muscle and strength which would help improve his ability to defend bigger players in the NBA.

Areas of Improvement

The inefficiency issues are the biggest concern for Walter. A lot of his has to do with his inability to create space off the dribble, the shot selection is questionable, as some scouts consider him a shot-chucker and he struggles to finish at the rim through contact. He lacks a degree of burst and creativity off the dribble which hurts his ability to create space from defenders. That inability to do so is what often leads to a bad jumper or a tough layup attempt. His true ceiling could be limited and there’s a chance he’s forced into a scoring role off the bench at the next level if he doesn’t improve his efficiency.

Although he does show some promise on the defensive end he was pretty inconsistent this season as an overall defender. When he’s defending a quicker ball-handler he often opens up his hips which ultimately ends up giving ball-handlers easy driving angles. He needs to add some strength as he continues to get older so it will allow him to be a more versatile and physical defender. The potential is certainly there for him to a productive 3-and-D defender.

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