Bill Walker - NBA Draft Prospects

Numbers: 16.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.6 t/o's, 47% FG, 74% FT, 31% 3's

About Him: Despite tearing his ACL twice, Bill Walker still has NBA athleticism. He is able to hang in the air, absorb contact, and finish strong at the rim. He has great strength and size (6'6", 230lb), which allows him to score on the block, but he also has the explosiveness to blow past a defender on the perimeter. He has all the athletic tools to be a good slasher in the NBA, but what is really holding him back right now is his lack of ball handling and shooting skills. He keeps his turn-overs down, but he still needs to work on keeping his dribble closer to him and controlling the ball better. He is also very inconsistent with his jump shot. He has really improved his mid-range and pull-up game over the course of the season, which was pretty much not existent early in the season. He is a streaky three point shooter that can knock down a few in a row, but is not consistent enough, only shooting 31% from deep on the season. Defensively, Walker is a very intense player. He doesn't pick up a lot of steals or blocks (he doesn't have great anticipation) but when guarding a player 1-on-1 he is a menace. He is a ball hawk when his man is in possession of the ball, and forces quite a few turn-overs as a result. He probably needs to lose some of his mass and improve his lateral quickness if he is going to be a good defender in the NBA.

Comparisons: Gerald Wallace, Fred Jones

Bottom Line: Walker has NBA size and athleticism, but needs to greatly improve his ball-handling and shooting if he wants to be a good NBA player. He is probably a second round pick this year, but could vault himself into the first round if he comes back, especially without Michael Beasley there next year.