TORONTO – It’s an old adage in the NBA that rookies don’t foul. Partly because veterans get the benefit of the doubt from referees, and partly because younger players don’t know how to force defenders to foul.
Fortunately for Toronto Raptors freshman Ja’Kobe Walter, he plays like an old soul.
Walter, 20, is averaging 7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the Raptors this season, but scored a season-high 19 points in Monday’s 113-108 loss to the New York Knicks. He has eight shooting fouls and 3-and-1 so far this season, including 4 of 5 free throws as part of a 19-point performance.
“Offensively, we tried to finish through contact and not focus on any causes,” said Walter, who made nearly half of Toronto’s 11 free throw attempts Monday. “We didn’t get a lot of whistle calls today, but I still felt like we weren’t focused and trying to get to the rim and finish.”
Walter was selected 19th overall in last summer’s NBA draft and is one of four rookies to make the Raptors lineup. However, Jamal Shead, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle are all over 22 years old.
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Walter was a standout freshman at Baylor University last season, averaging 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 35 games. He also showed defensive ability, averaging 1.1 steals and 0.2 blocks per game.
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“I think it’s just breaking the glass and rebounding and focusing on that,” Walter said of how he translated his game to the NBA. “I have a lot of energy and I’ve always been able to do that.
“I just try to find different people, be confident in my passes and get to the paint.”
Walter was on the Raptors’ inactive list twice recovering from a shoulder sprain and missed a total of 14 games. In the 11 games he has played, his usage rate is 20.8%, a statistic that indicates the percentage of team play he is involved in when he is on the floor.
Coach Darko Rajakovic said one of Walter’s strengths is that he is not bound by the pace of the professional game.
“Even as a rookie, even as a 20-year-old, he has a certain speed at which he plays. He doesn’t have speed,” Razakovic said after Tuesday’s practice. “He plays at his own pace and that allows him to see things and make contact.
“He also has good size, long arms and can finish to the rim. And he understands, ‘Okay, I can do it at this level, too.’”
The Raptors confirmed Wednesday that All-Star Scotty Barnes sprained his right ankle in the loss to New York. Barnes is scheduled to be re-evaluated in a week.
In the meantime, Rajakovic said he will rely more on swingman RJ Barrett, reserve guard Davion Mitchell, Shead and Walter of Mississauga, Ont., to help carry the load while Barnes recovers.
This is a situation that Toronto’s depth players have become accustomed to this season.
The Raptors have lost 107 games to injury or illness this season, a number that will increase with Barnes and starting point guards Emmanuel Quickley (partially torn UCL) and Bruce Brown (arthroscopic knee surgery).
Mitchell, who also attended Baylor, said Walter is well-prepared to play professionally after graduating from college in Waco, Texas.
“I think it happens because I’ve been around former NBA players and I’ve been around people from Baylor who have taught me how to be an NBA player,” Mitchell said. “It means we can’t just teach how to be a college athlete.
“When I was there, they taught me a little bit about how to be a professional.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
