[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2023 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Jordan Walsh
Frame: 6’7” 205lbs
Position: Forward
School: Arkansas
Year: Freshman
2023 Draft Age: 19
Stats via sports-reference.com

Offense

Jordan Walsh will not yet wow you offensively, but the key word is “yet.” In a half-court offense, he leaves a lot to be desired. He is not a scoring threat in any perimeter 1-on-1 scenario as he struggles to create space for himself and shoot the ball off the dribble due to his lack of ball-handling skills. However, he is a more significant threat without the ball in his hands. Walsh is an active cutter, seeking out and taking advantage of any holes the defense gives him. He also has flashed the ability to utilize his length to finish over defenders in the paint.

Off the catch, he can spot up from beyond the arc well enough that the defense needs to respect him, but a good shot contest will make it tough with his slow release. Where Walsh does shine offensively, however, is in transition. He boasts an explosive 41″ vertical, usually off of two feet, that allows him to finish lobs and use his downhill momentum to take the ball to the rim, right through the defender and finish through contact. At times, Walsh is hesitant with his explosiveness and likes to play a more passive style of basketball. Still, as he develops and gains confidence in his athletic ability, this will make him a scary matchup in the open floor.

Fundamentally, Walsh has a great baseline and team-oriented mindset that any NBA franchise could build off of with ease. Adding him to your offense will add high-IQ court awareness, effective screen setting, and a focused player who won’t take himself out of the game. He will fight for every rebound and loose ball. Walsh knows he is playing with multiple highly talented scorers at Arkansas and works hard without the ball or as a secondary playmaker to ensure they can get the best looks possible rather than him trying to put up his impressive stat line.

Defense

This is where Jordan Walsh makes his case for a 2023 NBA first-round pick. Walsh’s 6’7″ frame and 7’3″ wingspan, along with his tenacity and heart, makes him one of the draft’s most intriguing defensive prospects. Off the ball, his versatility and switchability are next-level. If he is involved in any pick-and-roll action, his length can completely mitigate the passing lane between the ball handler and roller. He is a passing lane hunter. Any time he is on the ball side, his eyes are on any lane that he could jump into, and impressively all while keeping one eye on his matchup, very rarely losing sight of them.

On the ball, Walsh is ahead of his age. It is scarce that you will see a defensive possession where he is making his matchups life easy. His frame alone makes it extremely difficult to get around him, but adding in his willingness and drive to win the possession makes it nearly impossible for somebody without elite burst and ball-handling to score on him. He looks very comfortable guarding two through four, but as mentioned, he is not as consistent with elite dribblers, as his feet don’t move quickly enough to keep up at times. He also will need to get stronger to defend fives in the NBA effectively, but he’s already on his way to being able to guard all five positions capably. That’s a precious skill for any NBA roster.

Looking Ahead

In 3 of the Arkansas Razorbacks’ previous four games, Walsh has scored in double figures, including a season-high 18 points on perfect shooting from the field (7-7) in a win over Bradley. When asked about these back-to-back impressive offensive performances, he credited Head Coach Eric Musselman for instilling him with some much-needed confidence. In the future, we can expect more of these types of games from Walsh as he lets the game come to him and gets more comfortable in his reduced offensive role.

On an NBA team, Walsh has a lot to offer. His defensive versatility and focus will be highly sought by teams picking in the back half of the first or early second round. His frame, athleticism, and ability to knock down the three-point shot give NBA teams a lot to work with offensively. He is very raw on that end of the court, but he has all the tools to provide a “Swiss army knife” play style to any offense. His play displays shades of Trey Murphy III as a lengthy, switchable defender with explosive hops off of two feet.

If Walsh can bolster up his frame and continue to develop that three-point shot to where he can become a legitimate threat if left open, he will make a long career for himself in the NBA.