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    • Jarace Walker of the Pacers made a run from the field in the win over the Magic
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    Jarace Walker of the Pacers made a run from the field in the win over the Magic

    Kathleen William Posted on

    INDIANAPOLIS — Jarace Walker exited for the final time Wednesday night with 3:50 left in the fourth quarter, after a 12-minute, 33-second stretch in which he helped the Pacers regain a lead that had eluded them. In his longest outing of the young season, he ran off the floor with a flawless shooting performance and felt the ovation come over him. For much of the following possession, fans chanted his name even though he was not on the floor.

    “Ja-race Walk-er,” they sang with clapping in between. “Ja-race Walker.”

    Walker didn't come back onto the court as the Pacers completed their 118-111 win over the Magic with a game-winning 3-pointer from Tyrese Haliburton and two free throws from Bennedict Mathurin for the final lead, but he had done enough for me already deserves this appreciation. He scored a career-high 17 points on 7 of 7 shooting, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range, but more importantly, he played the type of two-way game the Pacers were looking for They took him out of Houston with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 draft. It's the kind of performance that could keep the 21-year-old in the rotation, even with small forward Aaron Nesmith coming back from an ankle sprain, and allow him to do so could make an impact at multiple positions for the rest of the year and beyond.

    Walker took on difficult defensive duties, including wingers Franz Wagner and Gary Harris. He grabbed six rebounds and two steals and had an excellent block at the end of the first quarter. In 23 minutes and 14 seconds, his longest outing of the season and one of the longest of his career, he posted a plus-minus rating of +8, the best of the Pacers entering Wednesday's game, although all nine were positive .

    It was the kind of performance that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle challenged Walker to do earlier in the season, one in which he showcased his collection of offensive weapons but focused primarily on defense and playing a tough, physical game. With minutes suddenly easier to come by thanks to multiple injuries to the Pacers, Walker took advantage of the opportunity and made the most of it.

    “Jarace Walker tonight, it was certainly a great performance from him,” Carlisle said in his post-match press conference. “He deserves all the minutes. The shots were great. He recovered and defended their best players. Had a big block at the end of a quarter, that was a real momentum play. There's nothing like the heat of the moment, big time investment to really learn what it's about and he really responded great.

    Walker didn't have many of those opportunities last season when the Pacers were overloaded at the wing positions at times. He was drafted as a power forward, but Indiana had more experienced options there early in the season with Nesmith and newly acquired free agent Obi Toppin. They changed the lineup to get bigger, moving Jalen Smith from center to power forward, then they brought in All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam and suddenly Walker had no playing time at the 4. However, Carlisle began tinkering with it at the time. He plays Walker more as a small forward and uses his perimeter skills on both sides. Although Walker appeared in just 33 games as a rookie and played double-digit minutes in just 15 of them, this decision by Carlisle, as well as extensive work with the Mad Ants in the G League, put him on track to get more opportunities this season.

    Walker entered the season much more confident as a shooter, more confident with the ball in his hands, and more solid in his fundamentals defensively, having worked on reducing his tendency to rely on steals rather than staying in one position. To keep him, fight to prevent opposing players from getting past him. He and fellow second-year wing Ben Sheppard have been battling for a second wing spot since training camp and the two have had to share minutes at times. However, Nesmith's injury moved Mathurin from the second unit to the first, and the Achilles tendon tears of Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman forced Obi Toppin to play center in the second unit, leaving some in the 4th unit as well Minutes remained.

    Wednesday's game marked the third straight time Walker logged double-digit minutes, and he had to spend at least brief periods guarding New Orleans' Brandon Ingram on Friday, Dallas' Luka Doncic on Monday and then Wagner and Harris on Wednesday. Those weren't his main assignments and he wasn't the defender who spent the most time on those stars, but he held his own against each of them. At 6-7, 235 pounds with a 7-2 1/2 wingspan, he has the body to take on big, scoring wingers, and in every game he showed signs of being a top scorer at least contain it.

    “I feel like tonight wasn't my best defensive night, but I feel like I'm just continuing to progress,” Walker said. “I watch a lot of film as I continue to develop on that side, but I continue to focus and work on strengthening the defense, the pick-and-roll defense and of course the one-on-one. I feel like I'm continuing to grow on that side too.”

    Haliburton said: “Defensively he’s really good. He has a lot of potential on that side, which has obviously been talked about a lot. But he can be really good for us there as long as he stays solid. I thought he had some.” The last two games he's guarded Ingram and Luka, two really good players who have had some really good performances, as long as he stays down, stays on top, he's really solid in that regard I defended Wagner tonight because this is by no means a simple cover-up.

    Offensively, the Pacers were happy with what they saw from Walker, but he hadn't shown much in games so far this season. His outside shot got much better last year, as evidenced by him shooting 40% from 3-point range in both G League and NBA games, and they always liked his feel for the game and his ability , handling the ball and passing for a player of his size. Walker was a second-year point guard at IMG Academy in Florida before his first season in Houston, so he has plenty to learn from that time.

    However, prior to Wednesday, Walker had totaled 26 points on 9 of 21 shooting in seven games, including 4 of 11 from 3-point range. But the Pacers needed him to be more aggressive, and he obliged by scoring at multiple levels.

    Walker knocked down all three of his 3-point attempts and all four of his 2-point shots were reasonably mid-range. He took three shots from 14 feet to the 3-point line, including one where he stepped just inside the arc. He wasn't afraid to drive and hit pull-ups and floaters, and he played well against point guard TJ McConnell, driving a floater into his left lane in the first quarter.

    “I feel like it’s more intentional and aggressive on the offensive side of the ball,” Walker said. “I feel like on defense I've always set out to play 100 percent, but I feel like on offense it's more about intent and I'm trying to get more involved on that side.”

    Taking Wednesday's stats into account, Walker is averaging 5.4 points per game while shooting 57.5% from the floor and 50% from 3-point range, and the Pacers see a chance with more Opportunities to build on this.

    “His growth is exponential,” Carlisle said. “He has gotten better in all areas. He drives the ball more effectively. He shoots it well and combines an aggressive game with his passing to score points. He is an elite passer and has great vision. He'll probably be in the NBA.” The top 5 or 10 percent in the NBA have to be a scoring threat for your passing game to be truly effective. He just strikes the right balance there.”

    Walker's performance was part of an overall excellent night for the Pacers' four reserves, who combined for 18 of their 20 field goals for a total of 42 points. That .900 field goal percentage is, according to the Pacers, the best for a bench unit in a game in which backup players have had at least 20 field goal attempts since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976. Point guard TJ McConnell scored 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting and had five assists, helping Walker set up some of those shots.

    This shows how well Walker and the bench as a whole are responding to the roster shifts caused by the injuries. With Nesmith, Jackson and Wiseman out, they are down to a nine-man rotation and the backups generally operate in a smaller lineup unless the fifth player on the field alongside the four backups is center Myles Turner. However, McConnell has done a good job of maximizing the talents of the players around him, and Walker has put himself in a position to be the beneficiary of his passes.

    “We always had chemistry,” Walker said. “I feel like that was never the problem. I feel like it was just a really efficient evening. We got some great shots. We found the right person, found the hot hand when they were open, and we were ready to shoot when we were open.”

    Walker knows he can enjoy Wednesday's performance and playing time for now, as his position in the rotation can't guarantee that his minutes will be the same from night to night. And things could change for him when Nesmith returns and the Pacers have to decide whether to put him back in the starting lineup or keep Bennedict Mathurin there. In any case, Walker will see less playing time, the only question is how much.

    Carlisle told him that Walker couldn't get too high or too low in a position like his, with successes and failures in inconsistent minutes. Walker seems to take that to heart and just do what he can when he can.

    “I’m just starting to enjoy it,” Walker said. “I just don’t take it for granted either. I know it's the NBA. Highs are highs and lows are lows. I just try not to take anything for granted.”

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    Kathleen William
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