The Toronto Raptors selected Ja’Kobe Walter out of Baylor with the No. 19 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
After falling out of the lottery, Toronto pivoted to the 6’4 guard later in the draft to strengthen their guard room.
He averaged 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 35 starts for the Bears and ultimately became the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He shot 37.6 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from three.
Now, Walter prepares for his rookie season with the Raptors. Baylor’s head coach Scott Drew spoke to what his former point guard brings to the table, via Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun:
“Ja’Kobe, he’s a pup. And what I mean by that is, physically, he’s going to continue to grow mature, but all the natural talent ability is there. He’s somebody that will be extremely coachable and and hardworking. So whatever the concept is, offensive and defensively, he’s going to fit in whatever they need him to do he’s going to do. And at the same time, he’s always going to be in the gym working on his craft. He has the intangibles you can’t coach, though, and that is the desire to win, his competitiveness, being a great teammate. It’s all about winning. He could score four points or he could have 30, and if the team wins, he’s happy. If the team loses, he’s frustrated and wants to work harder to help them win.”
High praise coming from Drew and that should certainly excite those in the Raptors front office. He continued by complementing Masai Ujiri and noted Walter will be working on his game a lot this summer:
“First and foremost, Masai, the Raptors organization do a tremendous job, and they really do their homework, and there’s no surprise they would end up with outstanding young men, extremely hard workers, great teammates, like Davion and Ja’Kobe. And I know one thing for sure: The gym lights are going to be on 24/7 guys with those guys on the team.”
With any rebuild, teams need to surround their No. 1 option with supporting pieces and it seems like Walter is ready to embrace whatever role is given to him.
GM Bobby Webster discusses Ja’Kobe Walter pick for Toronto
Once day 1 of the NBA Draft unfolded, many great options fell to Toronto at No. 19. After selecting Walter, general manager Bobby Webster shared his thoughts on their new acquisition.
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