Colorado Basketball: Latest on Jabari Walker’s draft status

Colorado Buffaloes star forward Jabari Walker, as we all know, has decided to go the professional route according to his father Samaki.

Shortly after the news of that came out, 2022 four-star forward Bobi Klintman decommitted from the Buffs, leaving a scholarship open for Tad Boyle and company.

What a change of events for Colorado basketball.

Colorado was projected by some to be an NCAA Tournament team in 2022-23, pending the return of Walker that is. Now their outlook is totally different as they’re losing their top scorer and rebounder with some major shoes to fill.

As for Walker, we take a look ahead at the 2022 NBA Draft and potential landing spots for the stretch forward.

In Jonathan Wasserman’s full two-round mock draft on April 16th, he currently has Jabari going 47th overall to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies are currently battling the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, tied at 1-1.

Here’s what he had to say about Walker.

"After a slow start to the season, Walker came alive to showcase the shooting and face-up scoring that led to breakout expectations after his freshman season."

Here’s what Wasserman said about Walker in a mock draft ahead of the Final Four.

"Walker shot 47.6 percent from three over Colorado’s final 11 games after a promising freshman year and rough start to 2021-22. His perimeter-skill translatability is key to his NBA chances, but for a power forward, he has had some eye-opening flashes of open-floor handles, pull-ups and drives."

Teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, and Minnesota Timberwolves will picking around that area as well. Not to mention, the Wolves will have two second-round picks (one from the Denver Nuggets) so we could potentially see a reunion with former Buff point guard McKinley Wright IV.

Tell will tell.