Walker is coming off the bench Wednesday against the Nuggets, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
The Pacers are instead rolling with Ben Sheppard in the first unit. Walker has averaged 8.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 24.7 minutes per contest across nine games off the bench this season.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Starting vs. Cleveland
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Walker will start Monday against the Cavaliers.
The 22-year-old forward will return to the first unit Monday, pushing Ben Sheppard to the bench. In his previous 11 starts this season, Walker averaged 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists across 29.6 minutes per contest.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Reverting back to bench
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Walker won't start Saturday's game against the Bulls, Tony East of Forbes.com reports.
With Andrew Nembhard (quadriceps) returning from a one-game absence, Walker will slide to the second unit. Over his last five games off the bench, the 22-year-old forward has averaged 9.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per contest.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Starting Wednesday
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Walker is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's matchup with the Raptors.
Walker popped off for 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting his last time out, so he's being rewarded with a start Wednesday, with Ben Sheppard heading back to the second unit. As a starter this season, Walker owns averages of 11.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.7 triples and 2.6 turnovers per contest on 34/33/71 shooting splits.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Retreating to bench role
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Walker isn't in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Hornets, Tony East of Forbes.com reports.
Walker will be deployed off the bench Wednesday after making two straight starts for the Pacers. Ben Sheppard will take Walker's place in the first unit.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Back in starting lineup
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Walker is in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Raptors.
Walker will presumably slot into the shooting guard role next to Andrew Nembhard in the backcourt, as the Pacers remain significantly depleted due to several injuries. Walker has averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists in seven starts so far this season.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Scores 12 in loss
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Walker ended with 12 points (4-14 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 1-1 FT), two rebounds and one block in 32 minutes during Sunday's 114-83 loss to the Warriors.
Walker has put up decent numbers ever since being elevated to the starting lineup, averaging 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 threes made in seven starts. However, his efficiency this season has not been great, as he shoots 33.3 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three on the year. Walker will continue to see extended minutes with Bennedict Mathurin (toe) and Obi Toppin (foot) out for extended periods.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Bounces back in loss
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Walker finished with 18 points (7-15 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 2-4 FT), eight rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes during Monday's 117-115 loss to the Bucks.
Walker was held to only six points in 30 minutes during Saturday's matchup with the Warriors, but he responded nicely Monday night. He posted a strong scoring performance, shooting with efficiency while finishing second on the team in rebounds. Walker has now started four straight games for the Pacers and should continue on in this role until the backcourt can shake the injury bug.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Returns vs. Golden State
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Walker (foot) returned to Saturday's game against the Warriors with 3:03 remaining in the second quarter, per the broadcast.
Walker checked out with 3:48 remaining in the opening quarter and was deemed questionable to return due to left foot soreness. However, the 22-year-old forward appears good to go for the remainder of the game.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Starting Wednesday
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Walker is part of the Pacers' starting lineup for Wednesday's game against Dallas.
Walker played 30 minutes off the bench in Indiana's most recent contest, and he'll slide into the first unit for Wednesday's tilt. With the Pacers down several key players, expect Walker to see as much action as he can handle. Wednesday's outing will mark Walker's sixth career NBA start.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Sees 30 minutes off bench
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Walker racked up 13 points (6-11 FG, 1-5 3Pt), four rebounds, four assists and one steal in 30 minutes during Thursday's 141-135 double-overtime loss to the Thunder.
Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff and Tony Bradley played a combined 30 minutes for Indiana, and none of them particularly impressed. Instead, it was Walker and Obi Toppin who provided the biggest lift off the bench for Indiana. Walker has some strong per-minute upside in fantasy, and his involvement on both ends of the court Thursday was very encouraging for his outlook.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Expected to play
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Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Walker (back) is expected to play Opening Night against the Thunder on Thursday, Tony East of Forbes.com reports.
Carlisle gave the same update Oct. 19, and it sounds like Walker continues to trend in the right direction. Walker is expected to play an expanded role for the second unit in 2025-26 with so many rotation spots in the air.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Positive outlook for Opening Night
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Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle is hopeful that Walker (back) will be ready for Thursday's game against the Thunder, Alex Golden of the 'Setting the Pace' podcast reports.
Walker appeared in three preseason games before sitting out Friday's finale against the Spurs with back soreness. While an official status update is still pending, early indications suggest the wing is trending toward being available for the Pacers' Opening Night matchup with the Thunder.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Won't play Friday
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Walker isn't with the team and won't play in Friday's preseason game against the Spurs due to back soreness, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Walker is being held out as a precautionary measure, and his next opportunity to suit up will come in Thursday's regular-season opener against the Thunder. The 22-year-old appeared in 75 regular-season games (five starts) last season, during which he averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists across 15.8 minutes per game.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Moving to bench Monday
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Walker won't start in Monday's preseason game against the Spurs, Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles.com reports.
With Aaron Nesmith (rest) returning to game action, Walker will slide back to the bench. Over 31 minutes during Saturday's preseason win over the Thunder, the 22-year-old posted 10 points (3-10 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, seven assists and one steal.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Productive off bench
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Walker produced 13 points (5-12 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 24 minutes of Tuesday's 135-134 preseason win over Minnesota.
Walker suffered an ankle injury during last season's Eastern Conference Finals and missed the entire Pacers NBA Finals run, but he's been a full go at training camp and didn't have any restrictions for the preseason opener. Head coach Rick Carlisle has pointed to Walker as one of several players he's looking for to step up in the absence of Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), and he certainly got off on the right foot Tuesday.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Recovered from ankle injury
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Walker (ankle) focused on his conditioning this offseason, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.
Walker suffered an ankle injury during last season's Eastern Conference Finals and missed the entire Pacers NBA Finals run, but all signs point toward him being good to go ahead of the new campaign. With Myles Turner now in Milwaukee, the Pacers are hoping that Walker will step up to help pick up the slack in the frontcourt. Walker made nine regular-season appearances with Turner unavailable for Indiana in 2024-25, and the former averaged 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 20.9 minutes per game in those instances.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Won't play Sunday
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Walker (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder.
Walker's 2024-25 campaign has officially come to an end. The 21-year-old forward finished his second season with the Pacers having averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game during the regular season while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from deep.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Officially ruled out for Game 5
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Walker (ankle) has been ruled out for Monday's Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Thunder.
Walker will miss his fifth straight game due to a sprained right ankle. The 21-year-old is making progress in his recovery, though head coach Rick Carlisle said Sunday that it's "very unlikely" he'll play during the Finals, according to Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports.
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Pacers' Jarace Walker: Unlikely to play in NBA Finals
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Head coach Rick Carlisle said Sunday that Walker (ankle) is improving and off crutches, though it's "very unlikely" that he'll return during the NBA Finals, Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports reports.
While Walker hasn't officially been ruled out for Monday's Game 5 against the Thunder, he can be considered doubtful at best for the remainder of the series until the Pacers provide another update. The 21-year-old still has a slight limp but is making progress in his recovery. However, his season is expected to be over due to the sprained right ankle he sustained in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks.
