2018 NBA Mock Draft: Where do Doncic, Ayton and Bagley land?

I happened on this fit last week, after struggling much of the year to find a player who could help plug some of the Spurs’ holes while handling the pressure of potentially replacing Kawhi Leonard, in a sense. Walker has no shortness of confidence and looks like the type of player San Antonio has historically gotten the most out of.

With a .415/.346/.738 split, you get the impression that Walker was asked to do too much on offense in his freshman season. That’s partially due to an injury that cost sophomore Bruce Brown most of the year, meaning that while Miami had a pretty modern system and roster, Walker was not an effective enough play-maker to take advantage. He had a usage rate of 22.4 percent, but just a 12.4 percent assist rate.

However, the Spurs actually need an offensive creator, considering the potential that Leonard, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are all gone this summer. We saw in this first round series what it looks like when LaMarcus Aldridge is the only real offensive threat. Walker will need some smoothing out as a passer and defender, but he will be able to create a bucket immediately at the next level.

Walker may well be taken higher than this, but if he falls, the Spurs should snatch him.