For the past four seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers have ranked among the bottom 10 teams in rebounds per game. Tonight, the 76ers took a baby step towards combating this glaring issue by signing Jabari Walker to a two-way contract.
Walker is a rebounding machine
Walker is a 22-year-old six-foot-nine-inch, 215-pound forward who can play either the three or four. The Portland Trail Blazers selected him with the 57th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Walker spent three seasons in Portland where he established himself as a gritty rebounder, capable spot-up shooter, and versatile point-of-attack defender.
In the 2023-24 season, Walker appeared in 72 games and notched 8.9 points per game on 54.6% true-shooting. However, his most impressive feat was producing 7.1 rebounds per game while logging 23.6 minutes each contest. If that wasn’t convincing, he contributed a 22.2% defensive rebound percentage, which ranked in the 100th percentile.
Unfortunately for Walker, Portland’s front-court received more talent this past season, so his role was notably reduced. He played 60 games and logged only 12.5 minutes per game. As a result, Walker’s production dipped – posting 5.2 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game.
There was one positive takeaway from his latest campaign – his improved efficiency. He recorded a 60.1% true-shooting mark and converted 38.9% of his threes, albeit on just 1.2 nightly tries. Interestingly enough, 100% of Walker’s made three-pointers were assisted in his past two campaigns. Regardless, this eye-catching stat needs to be taken with a grain of salt as Walker is a low-volume perimeter shooter.
The 76ers are set with two-way contracts
Still, this progression seemingly wasn’t enough as the Trail Blazers declined to give Walker a qualifying offer on Tuesday. This enabled him to enter unrestricted free agency to eventually be snagged by the 76ers on a two-way deal, which fans and media alike believe to be great value. With the Delaware Blue Coats, he’ll get to hone in on his established skills while getting reps as a self-creator and passer.
Sadly, fans won’t be able to see Walker in action on Saturday as Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice reported that as it stands, he won’t participate in the Summer League. With the addition of Walker, all three of Philadelphia’s two-way slots are filled with undrafted free agent Hunter Sallis and Alex Reese occupying the other spots. Now, the 76ers have to address another issue – unfinished business with Quentin Grimes.