One of the Philadelphia 76ers' most surprising players so far this season has been Jabari Walker.
Back in the offseason, many expected Walker to get the boot when the Sixers were adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the roster. For financial reasons, the Sixers had to cut ties with somebody on a standard deal. Walker seemed like the obvious candidate, seeing as though he's on a deal that won't be fully guaranteed until early 2027.
Instead of cutting ties with Walker, the Sixers dumped the sophomore center Johni Broome to the Los Angeles Clippers. That allowed them to sign KCP while keeping Walker. The young hybrid forward rewarded the 76ers' decision with an impressive training camp and preseason. He was easily one of their standouts when you look beyond the star-studded starting five.
But Walker has faced some adversity lately. Three games into the regular season, he dealt with a knee injury, which prevented him from appearing in three straight games. That setback occurred after he had a real shot at a rotational role, clocking 12 minutes off the bench.
As Adem Bona remained inconsistent, and the LeBron James center experience proved to be unsustainable for long periods, many pounded the table for more Walker minutes when he returns to the court.
Walker has been cleared and available for the Sixers over their past four games, including Friday's action against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The minutes have been inconsistent, but Walker replaced an injured Adem Bona in Cleveland.
Did Walker win the backup center role?
Against the Charlotte Hornets on October 31, Walker checked in for 19 minutes. The frontcourt was shorthanded, missing LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Walker posted 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. Decent night for the young veteran.
In the following game, the Sixers were healthy again. Nurse rolled out Walker for just two minutes amid the 126-107 blowout against the Chicago Bulls. Not enough time to get anything going. Then in Detroit, Nurse opted not to play Walker at all. Even when Bona got hurt in the second half, the Sixers brought Embiid out and kept his playing time going up.
So, when Nurse didn't have a choice but to play Walker on Friday night in Cleveland, how did it go?
"Played good," Nurse told reporters after the game. "He just goes out there, plays hard, and plays well, and has an impact. He just seems to play well every time he hits the floor." Walker finished the game with eight points and five rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.
When the head coach was asked if there was a possibility that Walker would get a look at backup center even when Bona is healthy and playing, Nurse made it clear that he's "not at that point." So, maybe some points for Walker this week, but he's certainly not running away with an improved role at this time.
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