Toronto Raptors hopeful Ja’Kobe Walter has begun to seize the moment at Summer League.
Since winning the title in 2019 and immediately being hit with Kawhi Leonard’s exit, the Toronto Raptors have been tearing it down.
Now the challenge for the Toronto Raptors is to rebuild, with Collin Murray-Boyles the latest early draft pick who will attempt to play a part in their improvement.
The stage is also set for 2024 first round draft pick Ja’Kobe Walter to step up and contribute in a big way.
Ja’Kobe Walter had a tough opening season with the Toronto Raptors. He missed the start of the campaign through injury.
He was then assigned to the franchise’s G League team, before gradually becoming more and more involved.
Walter ended up playing 52 of 82 games, 18 times as a starter, and improved as the season went on.
After the All-Star break, Walter’s minutes per game increased from 19.6 to 24.9, and his output grew too.
He averaged 7.7 points per game before, and 10.8 per game afterwards, while improving his rebounding from 2.5 per game to 4.3.
Entering Summer League, Walter pledged to show up in a big way ahead of 2025-26, at both ends of the court.
He told TSN: “How I look at it is and how I can separate myself is just [by doing] the little things throughout the day that maybe [the other players] don’t do.
“I think I can separate myself, not only offensively, but defensively. Active hands, getting deflections – that’s something that I was good at last year towards the end of the season, so I want to carry that into this season and show myself early with that.”
Ja’Kobe Walter did exactly what he set out to do, with a huge performance at Summer League to lead the Raptors to a 101-97 win over the Denver Nuggets.
Walter led the scoring with 26 points in 28 minutes, and also added four rebounds. But the real story was his defensive contribution, where he logged an impressive seven steals.
Walter’s seven steals was more than the rest of his teammates combined (5), and more than any Nuggets player.
He shot 8-16 from the field, including 4-11 from three, and this was the type of performance Walter needed.
Murray-Boyles added 10 points, and if Walter can continue to produce like this, it will take the pressure off the 2025 selection.
