With five games under his belt, Houston forward Jarace Walker is fitting in nicely with a seasoned Houston Cougars team.
A likely lottery selection come 2023 Draft night, Walker is averaging a respectable 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals through five games, all while shooting 52 percent from the field and 42 percent from beyond the arc.
But while Walker’s stats will certainly earn him some draft acclaim, they’re not as flashy compared to Brandon Miller’s, Anthony Black’s and others of the college world.
And I’m here to tell you, that’s just fine.
At 6-foot-9, Walker is an elite-level role player for Houston right now. With a plethora of talent in Marcus Sasser, Tramon Mark, Terrance Arceneaux and more, he was never expected to be the No. 1, the go-to option that Miller, GG Jackson and Black have been for the past few games.
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At a surface-level first glance, it appears that choosing to be a cog in No. 2 team in the countries wheel might not be the right decision over choosing to drive the car. And that’s simply not the case.
In the NBA, Walker will function in a similar role. He’ll defend at a high level, depend on his solid feel for the game to make plays and score when called upon. And in the pre-draft process, NBA teams will take notice of the fact that Walker has excelled in that exact role for Houston so far.
For now, Walker will continue to carve his path to the NBA. Something he’s done a great job of just five games into the collegiate season.
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