With the 19th Pick, the Raptors select Ja'Kobe Walter!

[Jcity08]

wait he shot 38% from the field? what is so intriguing about him?

Also shot 34% from 3 and nearly 80% FT on decent volume with only 1 college season. He's going to keep getting better.

[PoundTown]

Collier at 31 still alive

Bronny is a Raptor.

LOL, that’d be wild… my gut is telling me mogbo or chomche

[NBA Sheady]

Good shooting mechanics and decent handle. That plus the size is a good starting point.

[TimeForChange]

Read on Twitter

[OAKLEY_2]

Suns take Holmes!!!

[alpngso]

Jakobe Walter's RSCI High School Ranking (2023)

12th in the nation. 5 star recruit with pedigree

1 Isaiah Collier 1 2 1 USC
2 Justin Edwards 3 3 3 Kentucky
3 Aaron Bradshaw 2 5 6 Kentucky
4 Ron Holland 5 1 2
5 Cody Williams 7 4 7
6 Matas Buzelis 4 7 5
7 D.J. Wagner 6 6 4 Kentucky
8 Stephon Castle 10 9 12 Connecticut
9 Mackenzie Mgbako 9 10 9 Indiana
10 Omaha Biliew 11 13 11 Iowa St
11 Elliot Cadeau 8 12 13 UNC 1
12 JaKobe Walter 13 8 8 Baylor
13 Jared McCain 12 14 10 Duke

[gpoon]

A 6’10 wingspan and 195 is nice size

[Jtoneller1]

He was miscast as an on-ball scorer at Baylor. His percentages will go up in a simplified role here. Absolutely elite movement shooter. Like a 2-Guard Dick. His floor is a solid 7th-8th man. I'm really happy with the value and fit here.

Sent from my Pixel 6 using RealGM mobile app

[TimeForChange]

hate the pick

You don't know much about the draft if you hate this pick.

YoU dOn'T kNoW mUcH aBoUt ThE dRaFt bro

[WuTang_CMB]

Trent c ya

[TimeForChange]

Jakobe Walter's RSCI High School Ranking (2023)

12th in the nation. 5 star recruit with pedigree

1 Isaiah Collier 1 2 1 USC
2 Justin Edwards 3 3 3 Kentucky
3 Aaron Bradshaw 2 5 6 Kentucky
4 Ron Holland 5 1 2
5 Cody Williams 7 4 7
6 Matas Buzelis 4 7 5
7 D.J. Wagner 6 6 4 Kentucky
8 Stephon Castle 10 9 12 Connecticut
9 Mackenzie Mgbako 9 10 9 Indiana
10 Omaha Biliew 11 13 11 Iowa St
11 Elliot Cadeau 8 12 13 UNC 1
12 JaKobe Walter 13 8 8 Baylor
13 Jared McCain 12 14 10 Duke

#1 still available

[artsncrafts]

Probably already better than Trent

[HolyMage110]

Somehow one of the best shooters in the draft.

Shot 38% from the field.

Is there some context that I'm missing here?

people are saying he has potential. idk

[TimeForChange]

Suns take Holmes!!!

Denver

[Raptorfan2012]

This is similar to Gradey last draft; Walter fell a few projected slots and most of us did not expect him to be there at 19. A bit of a steal and makes sense for us since we do another guard. Probably goodbye to GTJ and Brown; we can use our cap space to get back up pg and C.

[GIZMO]

It’s the 19 pick in a weak draft, how can you hate the pick? Only 19 and has a high motor (competitor), has room to grow.

[TimeForChange]

This is similar to Gradey last draft; Walter fell a few projected slots and most of us did not expect him to be there at 19. A bit of a steal and makes sense for us since we do another guard. Probably goodbye to GTJ and Brown; we can use our cap space to get back up pg and C.

did he fall though?

[LBJKB24MJ23]

super high release point and able to get to the rim. super young.

and his name a combination of Jordan and Kobe.

how can you hate the kid.

[DreamTeam09]

Ja'kobe and Dick back to back years at picks 13 n 19. That's a win for us. Let's hit on 31 now

[alpngso]

Vecenie's scouting report

STRENGTHS: Walter has good measurements for an off-ball 2-guard at 6-4 1/4 with a 6-10 wingspan. He has a long, lean frame with broad shoulders and has continued to put on weight as he ages. He should have no problems adding more strength over the course of his career. He consistently plays hard and seems to want to play the right way by being effective with or without the ball. His game is very polished, especially as a shooter.

Though he made just 34.1 percent of his 3s, Walter is confident and comfortable firing from distance, having attempted 6.3 shots per game from long range. His shot prep off the catch is superb; he gets his body square to the rim and maintains balance with his entire body in alignment. He sways forward slightly on his shot, with his right leg drifting in front of his left, but his motion is consistent. He can take 3s directly off the hop or with 1-2, left-right footwork. His elbow stays directly underneath the ball, creating a beautiful high trajectory on the shot’s release. He should knock down shots from NBA distance consistently. His 36.7 percent off the catch from 3 came on high volume, and he made 39 percent of his 106 catch-and-shoot 3s at Link during his senior high school season, per Synergy. I love the way Walter moves without the ball, particularly as he flows into his shot. He made the 32nd-most 3s off screening actions in the country this season and drilled 40 percent of those shots. He knows how to run around curls and how to come off screens to get free from his defender. He gets his feet underneath him well off movement and can fire quickly to generate his usual high finish. In general, Walter has an excellent understanding of spacing, with an innate sense of the most dangerous areas for him to relocate.

He generates many of his 3-point attempts by sliding subtly across the perimeter and presenting himself as an option to his teammates. Despite his so-so college percentages, I believe in Walter becoming a high-level marksman from 3 in the NBA. Walter uses the threat of his shot to create offense on his drives. He has a nose for the bucket and an understanding of how to score in those situations. He’s best when he can attack a closeout in a straight line after a teammate creates an advantage. His footwork and handle in those situations are polished, and he changes speeds effectively. He has shown flashes of a solid floater game; his 42 percent mark on those shots was solid for a freshman.

His defense has a chance to be impactful even if it was hit or miss last season. He’s a solid team defender who makes the right reads, tags rollers effectively and understands where he needs to be. Many of his off-ball gambles come through with steals because he regularly keeps his arms up. He had some positive moments on the ball, although he does sometimes struggle there.

WEAKNESSES: Walter won’t be a plus athlete by NBA standards. He’s a bit stiff, lacking high-level vertical explosiveness and quickness. He keeps things simple, which is a good indicator he can be a good NBA role player. But some scouts wonder if he has the upside to do more and whether he can add significant additional skills as he ages. He’s not particularly shifty on the ball, so don’t expect him to break anyone down in isolation situations unless he’s setting up a stepback jumper. He has a polished handle but struggles to take it anywhere on the court due to his lack of shake or quickness. The result: He rarely turns the corner on defenders and his drives tend to loop if he lacks a clear advantage. He attempted less than two shots at the rim per game in half-court settings last season and only made 47.1 percent of his attempts at the rim overall. Both are startlingly low numbers that should concern teams. The result is Walter settles for a lot of contested pull-up jumpers when he’s forced to create for himself. He made 25 percent of his 3-point attempts off the dribble, per Synergy, and just 32.7 percent of his pull-up 2-point jumpers. He's not a creative passer and rarely forces enough help to get opponents into rotation and make plays for teammates.

He tends to require a gather before making a pass, rather than being someone who delivers them off a live dribble. He showed improvement in this area as the season progressed, and I don’t think he’s selfish or possesses poor vision. But he is often too late in making those reads, which leads to more contested pull-up 2-pointers than ideal. If the hope is for Walter to become a 3-and-D player, his defensive tape at Baylor was not encouraging. He plays too stiffly, without great hip flexibility, and comes up too high in his stance. His closeouts are too hoppy — he often drops his hips a beat late, which results in him getting beat, sometimes even in a straight line. He gets turned around on multi-stage moves, sometimes over-pursuing the initial one and unbalancing his feet. He has the potential to be a fine defender given his length and willingness to battle, but he’s not a plus on the ball now and needs to be.