I don't think it's a horrible deal for him unless he suffers a career-ending injury before his next contract. It's the 2nd contract where guys make their money, and you're not getting a big 2nd contract if you're not playing at all in your first 4 years. If he can get big playing time with that cheap contract it's a win-win for him and the Blazers.
I'm sure after those New Zealand Breakers paychecks he's pretty happy with a rookie second round deal this season
Camara running away with this!! Loving this kid. And Walker looks solid as well. Scoot/Sharpe/Camara/Walker/Ayton is one hell of a core to try to blossom
Of the 4 (3) listed, i think the one guy who has differentiated himself as a clearcut potential starting caliber player on a good team has been Toumani. He's also the only guy on this list who can be on the floor even if his shooting doesn't drastically improve. Walker also appears to be a very clear rotational piece with his rebounding.
I worry a little about Walker. Great rebounder. But a little slow on defense and not efficent scorer. Also fumbles the ball a little bit.
I didn't know... if a player gets blocked, and they collect the loose ball, they get credited for a rebound. Jabari had about 5 of those last night. We like seeing the Rodman-esque hustle around the rim. Blazer fans haven't seen that kind of scrap since the JJ Hickson days. Walker has taken big leaps forward since his rookie season. A showcase player for the Blazers "our young player development is world class". Jabari's on ball defense has improved. His weakside defense is not the best. His offensive verocity can get lost when he's playing away from the rim. Someone on this coaching staff wants him to keep shooting from 25 feet out. It's not helping this team win. But everyone else in the NBA misses 3 pointers, and losses benefit the ping pong extravaganza.
He's a bench player, but a damn good one. I don't see the issue. Of course he's not going to look the same playing 40 minutes against starters all night.
Walker has earned the starting PF spot for the long-term IMO. He’s an elite rebounder, high IQ and is slowly turning into a solid all-around defender. He’s 100% a core piece moving forward
Garbage time (and let's face it, for the Blazers that has meant the last 30 games or so of each of the last few seasons) isn't that great of an indicator of how a guy will do when the games count. With that being said, I've liked Walker since I saw him playing as a Blazer and he's been doing everything he can lately, whether it's garbage time or not.
A center that doesn't shoot 3s and a PF that shoots them at 28% is not ideal. Jabari is a bench hustle guy. I don't see how he's earned a long-term starting spot at all.
Jabari probably has to start knocking down 3s to be in the rotation on a playoff team. Too easy to play off him and crowd the paint. So he should keep shooting them. Hopefully one day he'll make them.
No one said 'long-term'. He absolutely earned the right to be the starting PF. He's the best PF we have on the roster
He literally did. Jabari isn't better than Grant, and none of the other PFs are anything to write hom about.
This draft needs to produce a starting forward to go with Ayton, Scoot and Sharpe. The Warriors pick should also be a forward with a fair to good chance to beat out the other, current back-ups. Murray acts like the 5th starter. He’ll work out his 3’s. Walker looks like a rotation dude. Camara is the wild card. It would take years of skill building, but can he get to the level of Tayshaun Prince? [Grant hopefully traded by February. Like him. Good player.]
