2023 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Victor Wembanyama makes surprise team happy
F, Houston. Oklahoma City Thunder. Jarace Walker. 8. player. 149.
A lot of OKC’s core players are, on some level, creators. Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams both need touches. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is maybe the best iso scorer in basketball right now. He needs touches. Even Lu Dort does most of his damage driving the lane and attacking off the bounce. What OKC needs now is play finishers.
Chet Holmgren is an excellent play finisher who will fit right in with the aforementioned group, but he too will need touches as his star expands. And thus, Jarace Walker enters the conversation. A monster athlete and with megawatt potential on the defensive end, Walker can contribute with relentless hustle and energy while the rest of OKC’s core generates offense.
That is the main appeal, at least. Pairing Walker with Holmgren in the frontcourt, OKC would have the foundation of a top-10 defense for years to come. Holmgren is lean and mobile in the lane, swatting everything within arm’s reach. Walker is built like a truck, with the lateral quickness to switch onto guards and the beef to stonewall bigs in the paint. He complements Holmgren quite well in that respect.
Offensively, there’s plenty to get excited about too. Walker isn’t just a run-and-jump guy. He’s hitting 36.7 percent of his 3s on the season. He can rumble downhill and score on straight-line drives. He even flashes some nifty passing upside. OKC would need him to focus primarily on spot-up jumpers and cuts to the rim, but there’s upside for more. This would be a match made in basketball heaven.