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

[gbball]

I was initially underwhelmed by Walter's selection. But he's grown on me as I've seen him improve through these games. You can see the skill he has and he's not afraid of contact. He's got some work to do on his handle and he'll need to show he can make shots consistently. But it's nice to see how crafty and poised in traffic he is.

He works hard, plays the right way and he seems coachable. I expect he'll get a lot stronger which will make his game even more effective.

One thing I'll say about him is that he's more substance than style. His game isn't flashy at all, but he's effective.

Good pick if he can shoot a good percentage.

[Potential]

he's already a better all around player than GTJ

[gbball]

If his shooting this year was an aberration at Baylor, he's a bargain pickup.

[twiggy2]

I like the kid but he should realize he is not kobe. Dribble move followed by midrange jumper just isn't efficient, specially with 10 seconds on the shot clock

[Indeed]

I like the kid but he should realize he is not kobe. Dribble move followed by midrange jumper just isn't efficient, specially with 10 seconds on the shot clock

Those are the DeRozan shots, and you can see he is still having good effciency because of drawing fouls. May not be DeRozan level, but being a 3rd or 2nd option with alright defense, that isnt so bad

[DreamTeam09]

Someone make a Raptor mix for him

[kwajo]

Right now he reminds me of KCP.

Everything is gonna depend on his ball handling improvements & ability to shoot contested jumpers. Said it before but he should study Booker to watch how he creates.

For where he was drafted, KCP-level is a pretty great outlook if he reaches that potential.

Rip Hamilton with better 3pt shooting would be great too.

Rip Hamilton is one of my favourite examples of a shooter who understands off-ball movement, I would love to see this happen

[WuTang_CMB]

I actually wouldn't mind him starting next season and figuring it out

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[Duffman100]

I actually wouldn't mind him starting next season and figuring it out

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The one real positive takeaway from SL is he didn't feel like he was getting sped up. He operated at his pace. Sure he lost the ball and fell over a few times, but he showed a great ability to be poised.

[Harcore Fenton Mun]

He finished strong(ish) during summer league. I would have liked to have seen more from him, but considering his draft position...it is what it is.

[DKB333]

He was the player left on the board that i wanted the Raptors to select. It is very difficult to take much away from summer league and I honestly only watch the highlights. For those that watch the games how does he look defensively?

[raincityraptors]

He was the player left on the board that i wanted the Raptors to select. It is very difficult to take much away from summer league and I honestly only watch the highlights. For those that watch the games how does he look defensively?

On defense the effort was there and I saw him dive on for a loose ball multiple times. The tools are still developing - mainly the requisite strength.

Players know he can't keep them in front of him yet and they kept blowing by him with ease.

That started to tighten up a bit by the end (which I didn't expect).

He got better on both ends of the ball with every game.

With added strength and practice, he'll keep players in front of him more and his shot will fall more.

I bet he looks even better when he's more off ball.

That is why I also like him as a starter. Grady and BB both look better with the ball in there hands - though I also think he does a better job of drawing fouls than most rookies his age.

However it's hard to image him, RJ and IQ all playing matador defense. All of these guys need to chop their feet and stay in front of the ball.

In a year or two though I think we are going to be really happy about this pick. He's a legit blue chipper that needs a bit more time to make an impact.

We need to be patient.

[C_Money]

He was the player left on the board that i wanted the Raptors to select. It is very difficult to take much away from summer league and I honestly only watch the highlights. For those that watch the games how does he look defensively?

He looks like he’s going to be a good defender in the NBA. It was the offence that I thought looked shaky. I guess that’s why he was picked 19th though.

[DKB333]

He was the player left on the board that i wanted the Raptors to select. It is very difficult to take much away from summer league and I honestly only watch the highlights. For those that watch the games how does he look defensively?

On defense the effort was there and I saw him dive on for a loose ball multiple times. The tools are still developing - mainly the requisite strength.

Players know he can't keep them in front of him yet and they kept blowing by him with ease.

That started to tighten up a bit by the end (which I didn't expect).

He got better on both ends of the ball with every game.

With added strength and practice, he'll keep players in front of him more and his shot will fall more.

I bet he looks even better when he's more off ball.

That is why I also like him as a starter. Grady and BB both look better with the ball in there hands - though I also think he does a better job of drawing fouls than most rookies his age.

However it's hard to image him, RJ and IQ all playing matador defense. All of these guys need to chop their feet and stay in front of the ball.

In a year or two though I think we are going to be really happy about this pick. He's a legit blue chipper that needs a bit more time to make an impact.

We need to be patient.

Thanks! I believe he has a 6 foot 10 wingspan at probably 6 foot 4, so that is a positive. I would not worry about him being slight. I imagine he will put on weight like it appears as though Dick has as his career progresses.

[execoftheyear]

I actually wouldn't mind him starting next season and figuring it out

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Am I the only one seeing a bit of Shai in his game? He's so smooth, has great patience handling the ball coming off screens and his jumpers/drifters off the dribble are so smooth. He has that fluidity in his game to create separation and go into his jump shot off the dribble similar to Shai, just needs to add more strength to be able to take the contact and finish in traffic. I already see a lot of advanced countermoves in his game based on that short clip. The potential his high with this kid.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

he's already a better all around player than GTJ

By what metric?

[Chandan]

I actually wouldn't mind him starting next season and figuring it out

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he's like an exact copy of GTJ. As long as he doesnt blow any layups I am good with the pick.

[WuTang_CMB]

I actually wouldn't mind him starting next season and figuring it out

Read on Twitter

he's like an exact copy of GTJ. As long as he doesnt blow any layups I am good with the pick.

I see totally different players. GTJ has zero handle and never went to the basket to draw fouls. Also just a stationary shooter not a movement guy like JKW

[Boogie!]

The thing about Walter is he’s undersized and isn’t athletic or explosive nor does he have an elite handle. Hes another guy who needs to be an efficient shooter to have a spot in the league. He’s kind of like a Rashad McCants. He’s pretty much destined for role player status.

[Duffman100]

The thing about Walter is he’s undersized and isn’t athletic or explosive nor does he have an elite handle. Hes another guy who needs to be an efficient shooter to have a spot in the league. He’s kind of like a Rashad McCants. He’s pretty much destined for role player status.

Fair point. Though pretty much everyone in that area of the draft is destined to be a role player