Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Scores eight points in limited run
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Walter ended Monday's 128-104 loss to Milwaukee with eight points (3-5 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 0-1 FT), two rebounds and one assist over 11 minutes.
Walter led the Raptors' bench in scoring during his limited run Monday. The rookie received increased playing time during the early part of the season with Immanuel Quickley and Bruce Brown sidelined, though Walter has yet to surpass the 20-minute mark since Quickley's return last Wednesday. Walter will likely continue to receive reduced playing time off the bench, but he could be in store for an increased role if any injuries arise in the backcourt.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Good to go against Brooklyn
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Walter (finger) is available for Wednesday night's game against the Nets, Eric Koreen of The Athletic reports.
Walter popped up on Wednesday's injury report due to a left finger sprain, but the rookie first-rounder will play through the issue Wednesday. Walter has averaged 10.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists over 23.1 minutes per game over his last 10 outings. He got the start during the Raptors' 125-71 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday but will come off the bench Wednesday.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Dealing with sprained finger
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Walter is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Nets with a finger sprain on his left hand, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.
Walter joins Immanuel Quickley (elbow), Gradey Dick (hamstring) and RJ Barrett (illness) as one of four Raptors listed questionable for the second half of a back-to-back set. The rookie played 22 minutes and finished with three points (1-10 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, two assists and one block in Tuesday's 125-71 loss to the Celtics, but if Walter is available Wednesday, he could be in line for a reduction in playing time in the event two or three of Quickley, Dick and Barrett also get the green light to play.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Available Sunday
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Walter (illness) is available for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Walter will suit up after missing Thursday's loss to Memphis due to the illness. Over his last five appearances, the rookie has averaged 13.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists across 25.4 minutes per contest.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Won't play Thursday
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Walter (illness) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Memphis, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Walter will be held out of his first matchup since Nov. 25 due to the illness, and his next chance to feature will come Sunday against Atlanta. With the rookie sidelined, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle could see an uptick in playing time.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Retreats to bench Monday
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Walter will come off the bench in Monday's game against the Knicks.
With veteran RJ Barrett slotting back into the starting five, Walter will retreat to the bench following two consecutive starts. The rookie was stellar in Sunday's loss to the Rockets, during which he posted a career-high 27 points (9-18 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 3-4 FT), three assists and two rebounds across 28 minutes. Over his last five outings (two starts), Walter has averaged 13.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 24.8 minutes per contest.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Pops for career-high 27
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Walter fouled out of Sunday's 114-110 loss to the Rockets after recording a career-high 27 points (9-18 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 3-4 FT), two rebounds and three assists over 28 minutes.
The rookie might have pushed for 30 if he hadn't left the court for good with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter. Walter had never even reached 20 before Sunday, and the six made threes doubled his prior career high, so it would be easy to dismiss the performance as a fluke. The 19th overall pick in the 2024 Draft has been finding a groove with his shot, however. Over the last five games (two starts), Walter is shooting 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from the beyond the arc while averaging 13.6 points, 2.4 boards, 2.4 threes, 2.0 assists and 0.6 steals in 24.8 minutes a contest.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Won't start Thursday
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Walter will come off the bench in Thursday's game against the Thunder, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.
With Gradey Dick (calf) back in action, Walter will come off the bench Thursday night after appearing in the Raptors 905's 134-92 G League win over the Greensboro Swarm earlier in the day, during which he chipped in seven points (3-4 FG, 1-1 3Pt), four assists and two rebounds across 13 minutes. The rookie started in the parent club's last four outings following a nine-game absence due to an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder, during which he averaged 8.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals across 22.0 minutes per contest.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Practices, but still questionable
Rotowire
Walter practiced with the G League's Raptors 905 and remains questionable for Toronto's game Thursday against the Timberwolves, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Walter was briefly assigned to the G League earlier Thursday to get in some practice time, but Toronto hasn't ruled him out from being available against Minnesota, with the game tipping off at 7:30 p.m. ET. The rookie first-round pick has missed the Raptors' last six games with an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Remains out indefinitely
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Walter (shoulder) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Pacers and remains sidelined indefinitely, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Walter doesn't have a return timetable while he works his way back from a shoulder injury. Walter worked his way into Toronto's rotation in early November due to the Raptors' myriad of absences, but when everyone is healthy, the rookie will have an uphill battle to see minutes consistently.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Still out Saturday
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Walter (shoulder) won't play in Saturday's game versus the Celtics, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Walter's absence streak will extend to five games Saturday due to a shoulder injury. His next chance to suit up is Monday's matchup with Indiana.
Walter (shoulder) won't play in Friday's game versus the Pistons, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Walter is set to miss his fourth straight contest due to a sprained AC in his right shoulder. While Walter is due for a re-evaluation in the coming days, his next chance to suit up is Saturday's matchup with Boston.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Out at least one week
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The Raptors announced Friday that Walter (shoulder) re-injured his right AC joint and will be re-evaluated in one week, Aaron Rose of SI.com reports.
Walter missed time earlier this season with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder and re-aggravated the injury during Wednesday's game against Sacramento. With Walter sidelined for at least a week, Jamison Battle and Jonathan Mogbo (hip) are candidates to receive increased playing time.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Won't return Wednesday
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Walter has been ruled out for the remainder of Wednesday's game against the Kings due to a right shoulder joint contusion, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Walter missed the first five games of the 2024-25 season due to a AC joint sprain in the same shoulder, and he was almost immediately ruled out after exiting Wednesday's game. He got caught on a screen by Domantas Sabonis. He finishes the contest with two points (1-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and one rebound across eight minutes. Walter's next chance to play will come Saturday against the Clippers, the first leg of a back-to-back set. Jamison Battle and Jonathan Mogbo could see more action if Walter is idle.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Departs for locker room
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Walter exited Wednesday's game against the Kings and went back to the locker room with what appears to be a right shoulder injury, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca reports.
Walter got caught on a screen by Domantas Sabonis and went straight back to the locker room after exiting the contest. While he's sidelined, Jonathan Mogbo and Jamison Battle could see more minutes. It's worth noting Walter dealt with an injury to the same shoulder throughout training camp and the first five games of the regular season.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Gets 22 minutes in NBA debut
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Walter (shoulder) logged 22 minutes off the bench and finished with five points (1-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-3 FT), six rebounds, one assist and one block in Friday's 131-125 loss to the Lakers.
The No. 19 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft made his professional debut Friday after missing the Raptors' first five games while recovering from an AC joint sprain his right shoulder, an injury he had carried into training camp. The Raptors weren't shy about opening up big minutes for Walter off the bench, and while the rookie made some decent contributions in the box score, the poor shooting took a bigger night off the table. He could be at risk of falling out of the rotation once Toronto gets the likes of Immanuel Quickley (pelvis) and Bruce Brown (knee) back from injury.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Good to go against Lakers
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Walter (shoulder) is available for Friday's game versus the Lakers, Aaron Rose of SI.com reports.
Walter has been upgraded from questionable to available to make his NBA debut Friday. With Immanuel Quickley (pelvis) out, Walter could receive depth minutes in Toronto's backcourt.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Out at least another week
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Coach Darko Rajakovic said Monday that Walter (shoulder) is a week to 10 days away from being cleared for full-contact portions of practice, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Walter participated in some parts of Monday's practice but still has multiple hurdles to clear before returning to game action. The rookie missed the entire preseason schedule due to the shoulder injury, so even when he's cleared to suit up, Walter likely won't factor into Toronto's early-season rotation.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Out again Friday
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Walter (shoulder) has been ruled out of Friday's preseason game versus the Wizards, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The rookie will miss another preseason game due to a sprained acromioclavicular joint. Walter is not expected to miss any time during the regular season, but it is currently unclear whether he will participate during the preseason.
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Raptors' Ja'Kobe Walter: Headed to Toronto with No. 19 pick
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Walter was selected by the Raptors with the No. 19 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Walter was last season's Big 12 Freshman of the Year while at Baylor and earned Third-Team All-Big 12 honors. First and foremost, Walter is a three-point shooter. Of his 10.9 shot attempts per game, 6.3 of them came from distance. He drained 2.1 threes per game at 34.1 percent. While that's not an elite number, he took plenty of difficult movement triples. He's capable of pump faking and driving off his three-point threat, but he's not a top-shelf athlete and needs to work on his finishing around the basket. He'll often pump fake to push in and shoot a mid-ranger. Taking a step forward as a ball handler and passer would do wonders for his potential. Defensively, Walter struggles from a lack of footspeed and may be better off guarding bigger players given his 6-foot-10 wingspan on a 6-foot-4 frame. Walter's gravity as a three-point shooter, especially one who can move off-ball, should be valuable to Toronto. If Toronto moves on from Gary Trent and/or Bruce Brown, Walter could compete for a starting spot with Gradey Dick.
