Jarace

Walker

Walker, a second-year forward out of Houston, had the best game of his brief NBA career on Wednesday. He didn’t miss a shot, going 7-of-7 and scoring a career-high 17 points. Walker’s rebounds, steals, and blocks were also there, which was a fantastic development for the few who have him rostered (1% of Yahoo leagues). The Pacers play two more games in Week 3, and Walker is worth a roll of the dice in deep leagues.

Nembhard was back in the lineup on Monday after a one-game absence, starting and playing 29 minutes in a win over the Mavericks. If he cannot play against Orlando, T.J. McConnell and Jarace Walker will see an increase in playing time.

Injured during Friday’s loss to the Pelicans, Nesmith will miss at least one game. Jarace Walker started the second half on Friday, which could mean he’s the first choice to fill the void from the opening tip. He’s worth streaming in this spot, even with all 30 teams playing on Monday. Ben Sheppard should also play additional rotation minutes.

Sheppard wasn’t Rick Carlisle’s choice to start the third quarter for the injured Aaron Nesmith; Jarace Walker was. However, Sheppard gave the Pacers quality minutes off the bench, knocking down six 3-pointers and scoring 20 points. As for Walker, he finished with five points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one 3-pointer in 14 minutes. If Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard remain sidelined, Sheppard would be worth a look in deep leagues due to the 3-point production.

The diagnosis is a brutal development for Wiseman, who suffered a non-contact injury during the first half of Wednesday’s win over the Pistons. With Isaiah Jackson sidelined due to a strained groin, the Pacers may have to use Obi Toppin at the five whenever starter Myles Turner needs a breather. Also, Jarace Walker may see additional time at the four after the Pacers used him at small forward during summer league play.

Walker drew a start and logged a team-high 38 minutes with no Pascal Siakam in the mix. Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him to carry a heavy workload or high shot volume into the regular season, though.

As expected, Walker has had a strong summer. That hasn’t always meant efficient shooting, as we saw in this game. However, he is averaging 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block and 2.8 triples through their first four games of the summer. Walker should play a larger role this upcoming season for Indiana than he did as a rookie, but with how deep they are, that may not lead to much fantasy production. At this point, he shouldn’t be more than a late round dart throw.

The eighth overall pick in last summer’s draft, Walker played limited NBA minutes as a rookie. And with the Pacers re-signing Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin, the path to rotation minutes at power forward appears to be blocked. As a result, he will see plenty of time at the three in Las Vegas. “He’s going to start at the 3, but today’s game is positionless,” Pacers summer league coach Jannero Pargo said. “If he’s ahead of the play, we want him dunking it and playing in the paint. If he’s not, spacing the floor, handling the ball, playing in pick-and-roll, making decisions off the dribble. In all facets of the game, we want to use him because he’s that kind of a player.” Regardless of where Walker slots into the lineup once the games count, he’ll be part of a loaded Pacers rotation on the wings. While he remains a viable option in dynasty leagues, his value in redraft formats may be limited in 2024-25.

Nesmith was held out of Monday’s win over the Clippers, with rookie Ben Sheppard replacing him in the starting lineup. That said, Jarace Walker provided higher value despite coming off the bench. Should Nesmith remain out on Wednesday, deep league managers should consider streaming Walker.

Sheppard made his first start as a pro on Monday, and while the stat line wasn’t prolific, he wasn’t a liability, either. The issue for fantasy managers is that Nesmith’s minutes were divided among multiple players, with Obi Toppin (7/4/1/1 with one 3-pointer in 25 minutes) and Jarace Walker (8/4/7/1 with two 3-pointers in 29 minutes) also taking on more playing time. Walker offers the highest long-term upside and may be the best streaming option if Nesmith remains sidelined.