The Indiana Pacers came out of the 2026 NBA All-Star break and immediately suffered a loss on Thursday night at the hands of the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Despite the 112-105 loss to the Wizards, Indiana has some positive takeaways from the contest, including the play of Jarace Walker. The former Houston Cougars star power forward paced Indiana against Washington with 19 points and 13 rebounds. While he shot just 5-for-15 from the field, he was 8-for-10 from the free-throw line. Walker added seven assists and two steals in 30 minutes of action.
Following the game, Walker earned praise from Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle, who deemed the player's development as “one of the victories this season,” per Scott Agnes of Fieldhouse Files.
Granted that the Pacers don't have a lot to celebrate in the 2025-26 NBA season, seeing Walker improve on the court gives Carlisle and the team something to feel good about.
It is also about time for Walker to translate his potential into raw numbers, as he is already in his third season in the league. In his first two seasons in the NBA, Walker, who was selected by Indiana eighth overall in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, averaged only 5.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per contest. He entered the Wizards game with season averages of 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds through 54 games.
Still, there is a big room for impovement for the 22-year-old Walker, including in his shot efficiency. He made only 40.4 percent of his attempts and posted a 49.3 effective field goal percentage in the first half of the season.
