Jabari Walker made a name for himself in the NCAA Tournament last year after a stellar performance in the first round win over the Georgetown Hoyas, dropping 24 effortless points while almost going perfect from the field. He’s carried that momentum into the 2021-22 season.
Walker has the ideal frame to play at the next level. He’s a 6’9″ forward sitting around 215 pounds with room to grow on that end referring to the weight room. His ability to stretch the floor and score in the post gives the opposing team fits.
Walker played a key role in the upset over the Oregon Ducks Tuesday night, scoring 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting while going a perfect 5-of-5 from the line. The big man also hauled in 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season.
Fox Sports Radio anchor Bryan Fenley sees the potential in Colorado’s big man.
#Colorado's Jabari Walker @jabari521 will be a 1st Round NBA Draft pick.
— Bryan Fenley (@BryanFenley) January 26, 2022
He might smartly ride with an underdog mentality. But this guy has everything an NBA team could ever ask for. He's blooming into a super star.
According to NBADraft.net, Walker is currently projected to go 29th to the Golden St. Warriors.
After the win over Oregon last night, the Pac-12 Network asked Jabari why he chose Tad Boyle and Colorado
"It’s the staff that he [Boyle] has around him. They really care about the guys and know what it takes. They’re very passionate, really. They wanna get in the gym every day and they love the guys. They’re a great staff to be around."
High praise for Tad Boyle and company who has produced six NBA Draft picks during his tenure.
Walker is certainly on the right path to be the seventh. Over the last four games, Jabari is averaging 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds while going 18-of-20 from the charity stripe. The only concern knocking Jabari right now is his foul trouble, averaging three per game over the last seven.
Making sure he says out of early foul trouble is critical to not only his success, but Colorado’s.
Although it may be way too early to be talking about the draft and whether or not this could be Jabari’s last season in Boulder, it’s good to see that he’s getting the recognition he deserves and the sky is the limit.