Pacers' Jarace Walker: Plays 38 minutes in preseason loss
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Walker produced 15 points (6-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 1-3 FT), six rebounds, four assists and one block across 38 minutes in Monday's 120-116 preseason loss to the Grizzlies.
Walker led the Pacers in points and playing time due to both Aaron Nesmith (ankle) and Pascal Siakam (rest) being out. Walker will likely struggle to find significant minutes behind a plethora of talented players in the frontcourt, though he could see an uptick in playing time if injury concerns arise for the club. The 21-year-old appeared in 33 regular-season games last year, during which he averaged 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds across 10.3 minutes per game.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Moves into starting lineup
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Walker will start Monday's preseason game against the Grizzlies.
With Pascal Siakam (rest) and Aaron Nesmith (ankle) unavailable, Walker and Obi Toppin enter the starting lineup. Walker posted 12 points (3-3 FG) and four rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench during last Thursday's win over the Cavaliers.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Perfect from field Thursday
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Walker notched 12 points (3-3 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), four rebounds and an assist across 18 minutes off the bench in Thursday's 129-117 preseason win over the Cavaliers.
Walker was one of several solid contributors off the bench for the Pacers in this game, as no starter played more than 18 minutes. Walker is competing for a bench role as a frontcourt option, and this outing might have assured him some extra looks in the upcoming preseason games. Walker made 33 regular-season appearances off the bench as a rookie in 2023-24, averaging 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds across 10.3 minutes per game.
Walker provided five points (2-4 FG, 1-2 FT), one rebound, two assists and one steal over nine minutes during Sunday's 121-89 victory over the Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Walker played nine minutes off the bench, joining his fellow benchwarmers as the Pacers blew out the Knicks. While it was nice to see the rookie on the floor, there was possibly a case to be made for him playing even more minutes given the nature of the score.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Rare appearance Tuesday
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Walker notched one assist over five minutes during Tuesday's 115-92 loss to Milwaukee in Game 5 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Walker played a handful of minutes during the Game 5 blowout loss in Milwaukee. Despite flashes throughout the season, Walker has been an afterthought for meaningful minutes. The two teams will line up again Thursday, as the Pacers try to wrap things up on their home court.
Walker notched eight points (3-3 FG, 2-2 3Pt), seven assists, four rebounds and one steal across 29 minutes in Monday's 133-116 victory over the Clippers.
Walker had been left out of the rotation in both of the Pacers' last two games, but with Aaron Nesmith (knee) sitting out Monday, Indiana was able to open up some major minutes on the second unit for the rookie. Head coach Rick Carlisle likely didn't plan going into the night to give Walker such a sizable role, but the 20-year-old earned his minutes by capitalizing on his open looks and collapsing the defense as a facilitator. Nesmith could be back in action for Wednesday's game at Chicago to bring the Pacers back to full strength, but Walker might have shown enough Monday to get minutes at the expense of Obi Toppin, Jalen Smith or Doug McDermott.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Good performance in close loss
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Walker finished Wednesday's 132-129 overtime loss to the Bulls with 10 points (3-5 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and four rebounds over 24 minutes.
With Walker's performance Wednesday, he's appeared in five straight games -- the most of his career. Coach Rick Carlisle still doesn't seem to trust the rookie enough to give him meaningful run regularly, but it's encouraging to see him hold his own in a close game. The Pacers are ultimately trying to win games and make noise in the playoffs, so despite Walker being the No. 8 overall pick in 2023, he won't play if his coach doesn't believe he's contributing to winning ball. Per 36 minutes, the Houston product is averaging 13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Recalled by parent club
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The Pacers recalled Walker from the G League's Indiana Mad Ants on Wednesday.
Walker spent the past week in the G League but will rejoin the parent club ahead of Wednesday's game against Toronto. Over 17 appearances with the Pacers this year, he's averaged 4.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Recalled to NBA
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Indiana recalled Walker from the G League's Indiana Mad Ants on Tuesday.
Walker was assigned to the G League earlier in the day and posted 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals during a blowout loss to the Delaware Blue Coats. However, with Indiana's frontcourt healthy, Walker hasn't been able to crack the NBA rotation.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Back from G League
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Indiana recalled Walker from the G League's Indiana Mad Ants on Saturday.
Walker is back with the Pacers after posting 20 points (8-18 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 35 minutes Saturday in the Mad Ants' 114-113 loss to the Westchester Knicks. The rookie first-round pick has appeared in three NBA contests since Jan. 15, averaging 11.0 points in 21.3 minutes per game.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Back to G League
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Walker was assigned to the G League's Indiana Mad Ants on Saturday.
Walker was recalled on Wednesday but failed to see any NBA action while up with the Pacers. He'll likely see plenty of opportunities in Saturday's G League contest against the Westchester Knicks.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Recalled by parent club
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Walker was recalled from the G League to join the Pacers on Wednesday.
Walker was sent down to join the Mad Ants for their game Wednesday and logged 10 points and five assists across 30 minutes of action. After the brief G League stint, he'll rejoin the Pacers ahead of their Thursday meeting with the 76ers. However, Walker should be considered a fringe rotation piece.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Sent to G League
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The Pacers assigned Walker to the Indiana Mad Ants of the G League on Wednesday, Tony East of SI.com reports.
Walker has been an inconsistent part of Indiana's rotation, appearing in just three of the Pacers' last five contests. The rookie forward should receive increased playing time in the G League.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Steps up with well-rounded outing
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Walker tallied eight points (3-11 FG, 2-5 3Pt), four rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks across 26 minutes Monday in the Pacers' 132-105 loss to the Jazz.
The No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft has largely been left out of head coach Rick Carlisle's rotation this season, but Walker had several factors that led to him receiving his most minutes of the campaign Monday. In addition to missing three key rotation players due to injury in Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring), Aaron Nesmith (shins) and Bruce Brown (knee), Bennedict Mathurin (ankle) exited the game early, while the likes of Jalen Smith, Myles Turner and Isaiah Jackson all endured foul trouble. The missing players as well as the blowout led to some elevated run, and Walker made the most of the opportunity with a fantasy-friendly line. In spite of the strong showing, Walker could find himself back outside of the rotation Thursday in Sacramento if most of those injured players are available, but the rookie will be someone to keep an eye on later in the season if he finds himself in a more stable role on Indiana's second unit.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Will be available Sunday
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Walker (illness) is available for Sunday's game against the Nuggets, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Walker has missed back-to-back games due to a respiratory illness but will be available Sunday. With Aaron Nesmith (lower leg) and Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) both out, Walker could see a few minutes, but the rookie isn't expected to garner a fantasy-relevant role.
