Growing pains are part of the process for a young player adjusting to a new season. But Ja’Kobe Walter’s struggles have stretched across several games now, and that’s becoming worrying as Toronto tests its depth amid Kawhi Leonard’s absence and back-to-back games without Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes.
Before the season, Walter was one of the names gaining momentum as a sneaky standout in the Raptors’ plans. Last year, he took his game to another level after the All-Star break, finishing the season shooting 40.9 percent from three while also showing promise as a defender. He looked like the kind of complementary piece every playoff team needs: a tenacious defender who can hit threes with confidence and at a good clip.
Walter also came into the season with big ambitions on defense, saying his ultimate goal was to eventually lead the league in steals. It was an ambitious target, but it didn’t feel completely out of reach. To start the year, it looked like he was trending in the right direction and he certainly caught our attention here on Raptors Rapture.
When Kawhi went down, Walter moved into the starting lineup. Given Leonard’s history of injuries and extended absences, it seemed like the kind of opportunity Walter looked primed to get at some point this season. He had a chance to make the most of it — and so far, the results haven’t been what I or many others in the Raptors sphere hoped for.
Ja'Kobe Walter's weak play is hurting the Raptors in more ways than one
In Toronto’s loss last night to Memphis, Walter’s inefficient play continued for another game, posting 12 points and six rebounds — but on 4-for-13 shooting and 2-for-7 from deep.
Over his last four outings, Walter is shooting just 28.2 percent from the field and 17.4 percent from three. And those numbers aren’t coming on low volume, either. He’s averaging 9.8 field-goal attempts per game and making just 2.8 of them, while taking 5.8 threes and making only one per game.
For a player who drew so much attention and praise, the idea of Walter as a potential X-factor and key three-point threat has taken a serious hit. His hot start may have set a bit of a high bar, but I don’t think many people expected this kind of drop-off. Walter can't hit his threes, and even if he continues to bring some level of tenacity on defense, it doesn't make up for the overall shooting slump.
What makes it tougher is that Walter seems to be losing ground while other Raptors are earning attention. Jamal Shead has looked solid as a starter, Jamison Battle has been giving Toronto steady play, while a hungry Alijah Martin recently delivered a breakthrough performance. Even the polarizing Jakob Poeltl has shown a surprising uptick in play, and maybe saved his Raptors job after all.
Meanwhile, Toronto still has questions to answer about upgrading the roster. If the Raptors were to include Walter in a trade package, his recent play doesn’t help the appeal he seemed to have just a few months ago. His value as a building block and as a potential trade chip both feel less certain right now ... and no player wants to end up in no man’s land.
That being said, I still have faith in Walter, and he remains one of my favorite players on the roster. Sure, this rough patch has been frustrating to watch, especially with Toronto already dealing with so much adversity. But he’s young, the potential should still be there, and the coaching staff believes in him. When the team gets fully healthy again — and, more importantly, Kawhi returns — a move back to the second unit could help rejuvenate Walter’s play and get him back to peak form.
However, if things don’t turn around soon, I can see his leash getting shorter as the season gets tougher and there’s less room for error. Something has to change, or he risks losing value in two ways: as a key piece in Toronto’s future and as one of the team’s more intriguing potential trade candidates — a concern for Raptors fans either way.
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