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But making a defensive impact is still Walter's primary focus.
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Published Mar 28, 2026 • 4 minute read
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Ja'Kobe Walter #14 of the Toronto Raptors dunks against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of their NBA game at Scotiabank Arena on March 8, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Photo by Cole Burston /Getty Images
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There have been obvious positive developments this Raptors season as the franchise secured its first .500 season since 2022-23: Scottie Barnes has had his best year yet and will receive all-defensive and All-NBA votes; Brandon Ingram has stayed healthy and boosted an offence that badly needs everything he can provide; Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles looks way ahead of his years, particularly on defence; Sandro Mamukelashvili has been one of the best free agent additions in franchise history (a low bar, but still notable) and the team has been strong on the road.
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Less obvious, but a major storyline nonetheless, has been the emergence of sophomore wing Ja’Kobe Walter. Much of Toronto’s roster is comprised of steady veterans who realistically are what they are and aren’t likely to get significantly better from here (think Ingram and Jakob Poeltl, possibly RJ Barrett, though he’s made strides this year). Barnes is still young and Immanuel Quickley likely has more to give, but the Raptors badly needed a young player to make a jump in 2025-26. Walter has been that player.
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Even if Walter’s counting stats don’t jump off the page, he’s been one of the best Raptors over the last two months, shooting 43% on three-pointers in February and a torrid 47.3% in 13 March games, including 4-of-10 in a standout effort against New Orleans on Friday night. Head coach Darko Rajakovic elected to start Walter instead of point guard Jamal Shead for a variety of reasons, but his shooting abilities were a major factor in the decision.
Afterward, Rajakovic, who can be superstitious, joked around when asked by the Toronto Sun about Walter’s recent run of shooting like Ray Allen. “Stop. You just jinxed it. If he misses his next one, you owe me $100,” laughed Rajakovic.
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More seriously, the coach added: “He’s putting a lot of work in. He’s a very young player, his second year in the league and I think there’s so much growth that’s coming his way and he’s putting a lot of work in.”
Walter, only 21, always projected as a shooter. He has great form, hits his free throws at a high clip and his college coach, Baylor’s Scott Drew, raved about his potential as an outside shooter in an interview with the Toronto Sun after the 2024 draft, but Walter had not found consistency until recently. He finished his rookie year strong from beyond the arc, but after a good start in 2025-26, Walter was way off in December and January. That’s all changed since February arrived.
WHAT’S CHANGED?
Has anything changed for him, though?
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“The work is finally showing. I put in a lot of shots all the time,” Walter told the Sun after Friday’s win over New Orleans. “And when you see a couple go in for (multiple) games, you know, it’s kind of hard to get out of that flow, especially when everybody’s keeping confidence in you, telling you to shoot more, making sure you don’t pass up shots,” he said.
“The basket looks pretty wide right now,” Walter said matter-of-factly.
We can tell.
But it isn’t just shooting that had the Raptors so thrilled to land Walter with the 19th pick in 2024. He earned Rajakovic’s trust first with his defensive versatility. Walter can guard wings, but is also one of the club’s best options as a point of attack defender. Rajakovic credited his work on Pelicans point guard Jeremiah Fears, a talented rookie who might have had his worst game of the season Friday and Walter’s also been assigned to All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson and standouts like Derrick White and Andrew Nembhard while also at times checking bigger wings like rookie of the year contender Kon Knueppel Canadian Ben Mathurin or stars like Anthony Edwards or Devin Booker.
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That’s probably why Walter immediately had an answer when asked if he prefers making an impact on one side of the floor over the other.
“Defence. Defence for sure. Before the (Pelicans) game, my coach, Ivo (Simovic), he got on to me. He felt like I was playing weak last game, not activating the ball so that kind of lit a fire under me, coming into this game knowing that I wanted to set the tone early,” Walter said.
Walter loves pressuring lead guards up top and is a key part of Toronto’s aggressive, turnover-chasing defensive system.
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Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (4) drives past Toronto Raptors guard Ja’kobe Walter during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, March 23, 2026, in Phoenix. Photo by Rick Scuteri /AP
BARNES IS A FAN
He’s impressed Barnes with his all-around play.
“We all know he’s been great defensively for us, being able to put pressure on the ball, turn guys (over), I think we see him going on runs, and we’ll be able to get traps and run out in transition,” Barnes said up at the podium post-game, “but his shooting is just something that we need on our team.
“He’s been on fire. Every shot he takes it looks like it’s going in. It’s just been super important for our team. Sometimes we get in these situations where we’re not making shots, but we can count on him to be able to play defence and make shots.”
@WolstatSun
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