The Toronto Raptors' future looks very bright, featuring a talented cast of young stars who are just beginning to find their stride, a newly acquired star in the prime of his career, and a mix of fresh prospects who are already proving to be valuable rotation pieces early in their NBA journeys.
One such young gun I am referring to, who is providing Toronto with a ton of heart, is the Raptors' 19th overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft, Ja'Kobe Walter. This pick fell into the Raptors' hands as an asset included in the Pascal Siakam deal to the Indiana Pacers, and thankfully for Toronto, they still had a top-end lottery talent available when it was their turn to select from the talent pool.
The season hasn't been perfect for young Ja'Kobe Walter; he's faced several injury setbacks throughout his rookie campaign, and his shooting efficiency took some time to reach close to league average.
It's a bit unfair to expect a 20-year-old to find his NBA niche right upon entry, but now that Walter's rookie season is just about to wrap up, he has proven to be a great draft-day steal for the Toronto Raptors to boast about.
In his last 10 games, Walter has been providing the Toronto Raptors with quality production, averaging 9.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists. Moreover, when you consider that Walter is also knocking down 37.8% of his three-pointers and recording 1.1 steals per game, it’s a testament to his ability to effectively be a prototypical 3-and-D wing in this league.
Ja'Kobe Walter is carving out a pivotal role with the Toronto Raptors
I think it's really important in this last stretch for the Toronto Raptors to give Walter ample on-court time to allow his talents to flourish, especially as the team works on building its roster for a future playoff push. I said something similar about sophomore Gradey Dick as well, who I believe will need to break out in this final lap of 2024-25 Raptors basketball to showcase what he can provide in a competitive scenario.
Thankfully for Walter, he has averaged roughly 22.2 minutes per game over this 10-game span, which has given him enough opportunity to produce effectively and efficiently. I feel that relegating him to less than 15 minutes per game will significantly hinder his development, so it's reassuring to see the organization supporting him in this regard.
For now, it's perhaps a little too far-fetched to expect Walter to blow everyone away right out of the gates with a 30-point explosion; heck, maybe even 20 points is setting expectations too high. But you can be darn sure that the ex-Baylor product will suit up and be everywhere on the floor—grabbing boards, hustling for steals, shooting the rock (whether from deep or cutting to the rim), and everything else in between.
Even if he doesn't become anything spectacular at the NBA star level, Walter is already a highlight of the Toronto Raptors' roster. The front office can take a bow for snagging such a steal of a pick so late in the first round, especially when considering the perceived 'weak' draft class.