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

Jarace Walker
Frame: 6’8″, 240 lbs
Position: Forward
School: Houston
Year: Freshman
2023 Draft Age: 19
Stats via sports-reference.com

Offense 

Walker has immense upside on the offensive side of the ball, with the ability to score at every level. On the perimeter, he is still developing his three-point shot, but the results thus far are promising at 35.5 percent on 2.6 attempts per game. As he continues to grow, he will need to speed up his release to avoid getting chased off the line from an NBA-level closeout. 

Inside the arc, Walker has shown flashes of what could be a reliable and dangerous mid-range game. He is a confident and capable ballhandler who can get to his spots, rise up, and score overtop his defender. He has shown a consistent floater game around the rim, which could be a valuable tool in the NBA at his size. 

Walker needs to be aggressive in attacking the basket. At 19, he already has the strength and frame that NBA teams are willing to pay good money for, yet he often settles for jumpers or kick outs when he is met with a defender while attacking. Off the ball, Walker needs to become a more aggressive cutter. Ideally, a player with size and strength should have an advantage in the lane, but Walker often makes a lackluster cut.

As a playmaker, there is a lot to like. He’s already a fundamental passer with excellent awareness of where all his teammates are on the court. He could grow into an efficient secondary playmaker at the next level.

Defense

Walker makes an obvious and significant impact defensively. His heart and desire to prevent his defender from scoring (or contributing at all) are unmatched in this year’s draft class. With his frame and 7’2″ wingspan, Walker is a tantalizing NBA prospect defensively.

As an on-ball defender, his commitment to getting a stop is unmatched. Walker can be best described as disruptive and focused as he never lets his matchup sit comfortably with the ball in their hands. His ability to read his matchups’ next move is second to none, and he rarely gets blown by.

What can hold Walker back here is his lack of foot speed. His struggles to move laterally at a high pace will likely hold him back from guarding the NBA’s best guards at a high level.  

Off the ball, he has an elite sense and awareness of where he needs to be, when and when not to switch, and his IQ as a help defender is far more developed than an average NBA prospect’s. There are times, however, when he will be so adamant about getting a stop that it will cause him to be overaggressive in passing lanes, navigating screens, and deciding to double. 

Walker also needs to improve as a defensive rebounder. He can become so focused on the ball that he forgets to box out. 

Looking Ahead

If Jarace Walker can bring the energy and level of commitment we see in college to the NBA, he will join the league’s upper echelon of defenders in no time. His maturity and IQ on this end of the floor make him a catalyst that can raise the level of his less-skilled (defensively) teammates. 

Walker has a solid baseline offensively. As a shooter, ballhandler, and finisher, he can build into a more consistent and efficient version of his current self. The team that drafts him will be able to mold him into whatever type of offensive player they feel will best suit their needs.

What Walker brings to the floor and his few primarily fixable weaknesses will get him drafted into the top 10 or higher. His size, defensive tenacity, and potential as a three-level scorer resemble OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors (but with a more energetic and fiery personality). 

His development should be rapid with what he has already shown, and with quality NBA coaching, he should be able to make a lot of noise early into his career.