As the picks were starting to fall into place on draft night, I noticed that several lottery graded prospects on my board had fallen past the 14th pick. Two of them in particular (Dalton Knecht and Ja’Kobe Walter) had been considered lottery level talents across most outlets from very early on in the cycle. As a result, I had neglected to write about them, but began to become excited at the thought of the Raptors potentially coming away with a steal.
Jared McCain (5th on my board) went to Philadelphia at 16. I cursed Daryl Morey’s name.
Dalton Knecht (6th on my board) went to Los Angeles at 17. I unsubscribed from JJ Redick’s podcast in protest.
Tristan da Silva (13th on my board) went at pick 18, which was a bit of a bummer but I still had prospects available who were rated ahead of him.
The Raptors were on the board at pick 19 with two of my favourite prospects in the class still available: DaRon Holmes (9th on my board) and Ja’Kobe Walter (11th on my board). There was a part of me that really wanted Holmes, but I have to acknowledge that Ja’Kobe was likely the best option here. Let’s dig into why.
Ja’Kobe Walter | 6’4.25 | Guard | Baylor | 19 years old
The Intro
“Oh but Brendan you had Holmes higher on your board so how can Ja’Kobe be the BPA?”
The relatively flat talent curve has been discussed in this class ad nauseum, and I had Holmes and Walter both placed close together in the same tier. When the margins for error become so tight, a player’s potential can really come down to where their best fit is and where their development can be prioritized. Ja’Kobe, being a two-way guard with on-ball shot creation and scoring upside, while also being two years younger than Holmes, fits the Raptors longer term vision. While I don’t doubt that Holmes would’ve been a great fit here and I’m sure he’ll be a fantastic player for the Nuggets, Ja’Kobe’s skillset and upside are something that the Raptors have been trying to acquire for some time.
With the likely departure of Gary Trent, this opens the door for Gradey Dick to run more shifts with the starters, and for Ja’Kobe Walter to take hold of some big opportunities at one of the backup guard spots. If Ja’Kobe’s potential as a scorer is something that can come to fruition, then it’s obvious that he was the right call.
The Offence
We’ll start at the rim and move out. Unfortunately, finishing at the rim is one of the weaker aspects of Ja’Kobe’s game. Ja’Kobe lacks elite burst and isn’t great at finishing against contact. His handle is just okay, and he struggles to create space. This can be headache inducing to watch when his shot isn’t falling.
While Ja’Kobe’s rim finishing rate is not something to brag about, his ability to draw fouls is elite. He absorbs contact well and knows how to bait defenders into sending him to the line.
Ja’Kobe had more reps as an on-ball creator and playmaker in high school, though he wasn’t typically utilized in this way at Baylor. He showed some flashes of playmaking vision here and there though.
He flashed potential when shooting off the dribble from all three levels, though he was most comfortable at it when scoring from deep or from coming off straight drives. I see the vision when it comes to his midrange game but it’s not there yet.
Walter is one of the best movement shooters in this class, and he showed a high comfort level when taking tough shots, even if they didn’t always go in. He flies around the court and is able to make some difficult shots coming off screens.
The percentages don’t jump off the paper when evaluating Ja’Kobe’s shooting, but don’t be fooled – he’s one of the best shooters in the class.
In spite of his splits around 34%, Ja’Kobe averaged 6.3 three point attempts per game. Higher volume is always something you want to see when gauging a player’s shooting potential. I like Walter’s mechanics, and he really excels at moving off-ball like Gradey does. He causes havoc, gets his feet set, and lets it fly. This should allow him to slot in as an ideal complimentary piece in the short term.
Looking at the next couple years, Ja’Kobe’s fit is likely more suited to being an off ball mover and shooter. Long term, I’d like to see Ja’Kobe get more reps on-ball as both a creator and playmaker. If he’s able to get comfortable with the ball in his hands, that could be the difference between him just being a depth piece and being a really good player – potentially a star.
You obviously want to see the efficiency increase from both beyond the arc and the interior, but the foundations are solid enough to project Ja’Kobe as a high potential offensive threat.
The Defence
I’m going to have to echo what Samson and Tre have also said re: Ja’Kobe’s defence; it’s mostly theoretical at this point in time. Being his size with a 6’10 wingspan, one would like to see Ja’Kobe develop as a defender along the lines of other similarly sized guards such as Danny Green or Norman Powell. If Ja’Kobe becomes someone who’s passable on defence, you take it. If he gets to the point where he’s much stronger and can utilize his length effectively, you’ve won.
Having the length is a plus, but Ja’Kobe really needs to improve his strength. While playing at Baylor, it wasn’t uncommon to see him bumped out of the way by bigger and stronger players. He’s attentive, with active hands and alright lateral quickness, but he needs to get in the weight room and learn the finer details of playing defensively before he can make an impact. I don’t expect much from him defensively in his first couple years.
Ja’Kobe is a dog, and he really gives a shit on both ends, which bodes well for his defensive development.
Brendan’s Take
I was pleasantly surprised that Ja’Kobe Walter was the pick at 19. After hearing so much buzz about the likes of Kel’El Ware and Kyshawn George at this pick (who I really didn’t want and explained why here), I was relieved to see a lottery level talent drop into the Raptors’ laps. I feel like either of Holmes or Ja’Kobe would’ve made sense here, and the Raptors chose to pick up the scoring guard and shore up their young assets.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself when evaluating Ja’Kobe’s potential, but I really like the idea of the player that he can become. The 3&D guard archetype has been thrown around for him, but he has the flashes of on-ball creation that show he can be a special scorer when given the right opportunities. If the Raptors want to prioritize his development, I hope his potential can be realized here.
Another thing I should add about Ja’Kobe; his personality. While his interviews immediately following the draft reflected the stoicism that would remind one of OG Anunoby, on the court Ja’Kobe changes from the mild-mannered Clark Kent into something of a Superman. Passionate and loud, pumping his teammates up, communicating on defence, Ja’Kobe does all the little things on the morale side to impact a game. He’ll be a fan favourite before long.
I’ve been enjoying the slight shift in drafting mentality the past couple years. With last year’s selection of Gradey Dick and now with Ja’Kobe Walter entering the fold, the Raptors front office has apparently realized that you can’t get by with drafting raw, toolsy players and assuming that you can just teach them to become shooters. Sometimes you need to acquire players who already possess various offensive skillsets if you want to compete in this league. Ja’Kobe is a great building block for that. The second round picks were more of a step in the traditional Masai-era Raptors direction, but it makes more sense to swing for projects that late in the draft, and even more sense to swing on multiple when the draft is this mild.
With regards to his fit next season, I would imagine that Ja’Kobe will be one of the first guards off the bench with Davion Mitchell. I’m finding it increasingly difficult to believe that Gary Trent will be back, and so I can see the Raptors making use of Ja’Kobe’s skills sooner rather than later. As a result, I don’t think we’ll see much of him in the G League (I said the same about Gradey last year and was proven wrong, so we’ll just have to wait and see with this one). Speaking of Gradey, I’ll just throw in that I likely would have had him top 3 in this class.
The long term fit you obviously don’t have to think about right now – and that’s good because it gets a little more murky. With Quickley, Barrett, and Gradey all in those guard/wing spots, it’s a little difficult to see Ja’Kobe’s pathway to being a starter. But you cross that bridge when you get to it. Right now, just focus on what you have.
Full pieces on Johnathan Mogbo, Jamal Shead, and Ulrich Chomche will be forthcoming. I wasn’t expecting to have to write about 4 players after the draft, so… thank you Sacramento and Minnesota?
