Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Gets 22 minutes in NBA debut
Rotowire
Walter (shoulder) logged 22 minutes off the bench and finished with five points (1-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six rebounds, one assist and one block in Friday's 131-125 loss to the Lakers.
The No. 19 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft made his professional debut Friday after missing the Raptors' first five games while recovering from an AC joint sprain his right shoulder, an injury he had carried into training camp. The Raptors weren't shy about opening up big minutes for Walter off the bench, and while the rookie made some decent contributions in the box score, the poor shooting took a bigger night off the table. He could be at risk of falling out of the rotation once Toronto gets the likes of Immanuel Quickley (pelvis) and Bruce Brown (knee) back from injury.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Good to go against Lakers
Rotowire
Walter (shoulder) is available for Friday's game versus the Lakers, Aaron Rose of SI.com reports.
Walter has been upgraded from questionable to available to make his NBA debut Friday. With Immanuel Quickley (pelvis) out, Walter could receive depth minutes in Toronto's backcourt.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Going to G League
Rotowire
Toronto assigned Walter (shoulder) to the G League's Raptors 905 on Sunday, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
G League training camps will open Monday, and Walter will join Raptors 905 to continue his rehab program from a right shoulder sprain. The rookie first-round pick has yet to make his NBA debut while he's been sidelined with the injury.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Out at least another week
Rotowire
Coach Darko Rajakovic said Monday that Walter (shoulder) is a week to 10 days away from being cleared for full-contact portions of practice, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Walter participated in some parts of Monday's practice but still has multiple hurdles to clear before returning to game action. The rookie missed the entire preseason schedule due to the shoulder injury, so even when he's cleared to suit up, Walter likely won't factor into Toronto's early-season rotation.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Another absence coming
Rotowire
Walter (shoulder) has yet to be medically cleared and won't play in Friday's preseason game versus the Nets, Aaron Rose of SI.com reports.
Walter was seen shooting at Thursday's practice but will miss his final chance to suit up this preseason Friday due to a sprained acromioclavicular joint in his right shoulder. Walter's status for Wednesday's regular-season opener against Cleveland is uncertain.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Out again Friday
Rotowire
Walter (shoulder) has been ruled out of Friday's preseason game versus the Wizards, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The rookie will miss another preseason game due to a sprained acromioclavicular joint. Walter is not expected to miss any time during the regular season, but it is currently unclear whether he will participate during the preseason.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Headed to Toronto with No. 19 pick
Rotowire
Walter was selected by the Raptors with the No. 19 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Walter was last season's Big 12 Freshman of the Year while at Baylor and earned Third-Team All-Big 12 honors. First and foremost, Walter is a three-point shooter. Of his 10.9 shot attempts per game, 6.3 of them came from distance. He drained 2.1 threes per game at 34.1 percent. While that's not an elite number, he took plenty of difficult movement triples. He's capable of pump faking and driving off his three-point threat, but he's not a top-shelf athlete and needs to work on his finishing around the basket. He'll often pump fake to push in and shoot a mid-ranger. Taking a step forward as a ball handler and passer would do wonders for his potential. Defensively, Walter struggles from a lack of footspeed and may be better off guarding bigger players given his 6-foot-10 wingspan on a 6-foot-4 frame. Walter's gravity as a three-point shooter, especially one who can move off-ball, should be valuable to Toronto. If Toronto moves on from Gary Trent and/or Bruce Brown, Walter could compete for a starting spot with Gradey Dick.
