Toronto Raptors
fromRaptors Rapture
3 days agoThe level of playoff trust Ja'Kobe Walter just earned vs. Cavs resets expectations
Ja'Kobe Walter excelled in Game 5 with 20 points and four steals despite the Raptors' loss to the Cavs.
The theory behind drafting Walter with the 19th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft was that they would be grooming their shooting guard of the future. The top prospect had an up-and-down freshman season at Baylor but showed signs of both on-ball shot creation and off-ball shot making that would make him an ideal fit for the Raptors. It is obviously still early in Walter's career, so it's hard to make any definitive statements about his ultimate trajectory as a player.
Also, we need to acknowledge what is expected of this role, because it's far different than it was last year. For those who thought that Brandon Ingram's arrival would severely hamper Scottie Barnes' and RJ Barrett's ability to get shots up, or touches, that's not been the case, the shots have mostly been usurped from the low-volume bench guards, turning them into even lower volume bench guards.