Houston freshman forward Jarace Walker was the No. 8 pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft. The 6-foot-9 power forward went to the Indiana Pacers and now pairs up with Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton, and Bennedict Mathurin. So, now that Walker knows where he will start his NBA career, let’s take a look at the current and former NBA players the Cougars freshman reminds us of — Aaron Gordon, Shawn Marion, and Larry Johnson — in these Jarace Walker player comparisons.

Jarace Walker is the most powerful player in the 2023 NBA Draft. He looks like a linebacker and plays defense like one. He has an interesting and athletic offensive game, but it’s raw and will come in time. Right now, he is a good rebounder and an excellent team defender, both on the ball and in the overall team concept.

There are some weaknesses with Walker. His dribbling could improve, and although he looks like he could be a good shooter, he’s not there yet. Overall, though, his elite defensive skills should earn him minutes with the Pacers right away, and the 6-foot-7 forward has the chance to become an elite 3-and-D wing.

With all that in mind, let’s look at the Jarace Walker player comparisons after his selection in the 2023 NBA Draft.

3. Aaron Gordon

For all the NBA fans who just watched the NBA Finals, Aaron Gordon will be fresh in your mind. He played lockdown defense on the defensive side and was a great pick-and-roll player, cutting to the baskets, taking lobs, and even stepping out to hit the occasional 3-pointer.

Walker has a lot of this in him. The main difference here is that if Gordon’s game is 60/40 skewed toward the offense, Walker is 60/40 the other way. That’s why the best Jarace Walker player comparison is seeing him as a defensive-minded Aaron Gordon.

This will fit in nicely with the Pacers. He’ll play next to one of the best shot-blockers in the league in Myles Turner, and with two young players who have the physical tools to develop into good defenders in Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.

If Gordon is Walker’s destiny, he’ll need to have the right teammates around him to become a star. Gordon was miscast in Orlando as a lead scorer and didn’t fully unleash his championship potential until he became the third guy in Denver. Walker has a little of that, too, which is fine if Haliburton and Mathurin become stars.

2. Shawn Marion

The next level up from Gordon is “The Matrix,” Shawn Marion.

The similarities here are the athleticism, defense, and versatility. Marion was an original 3-and-D wing before that term, and those types of players were possible. And the star most known for his time with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks could fill up a stat sheet in every way possible.

In his career, Marion averaged 15.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. He never made an All-Defensive team, as Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett had the forward spots locked down in those years, but make no mistake, Marion was a problem for opponents on defense.

The interesting Jarace Walker player comparison piece here is that while Gordon needed to be the third guy, Marion could be a No. 2 with the right point guard. When he was with Steve Nash or Jason Kidd, he flourished. Anyone else, not so much.

Can Tyrese Haliburton be the PG to unlock Walker’s full potential? Pacers fans hope so, and if not, that’s still OK because the wings of the NBA are now on notice that their lives just got harder with Walker in the league.

1. Larry Johnson

So, the Jarace Walker player comparisons have him as a great third man on a contender (Gordon) or an excellent second banana (Marion). There is also a scenario where the former Houston Cougar’s offensive game continues to progress, his shooting and dribbling continue to improve, and he gets so strong and physical that the progressively skinnier NBA (looking at you, Wemby!) just can’t stop him.

In this case, Walker becomes ol' “Grand-ma-ma” himself, Larry Johnson.

Again, Johnson was never the defensive player that Walker will be out of the gate. However, from an offensive standpoint, there are a lot of similarities. Johnson has brute strength to overpower people, but a softer touch inside and outside than people remember.

Johnson never played with an elite distributor, so he had to become a shot creator on his own. He did a good job with that, but outside of Charles Barkley, it’s hard to win with a face-up power forward as the No. 1 offensive guy.

Walker has all the skills to develop into one of the best players in the league if everything breaks right. But like Johnson, there will be a certain ceiling to how his teams can do if the offense completely revolves around him.