CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers brought in a solid big man in free agency in the form of Jabari Walker. The Sixers brought him in on a two-way deal which is insane value for a player who can step in and play right away.
The No. 57 pick in the 2022 NBA draft, Walker spent three years with the Portland Trail Blazers averaging 6.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 188 total games. He took a big step forward as a 3-point shooter in 2024-25 as he shot 38.9% from deep in an effort to expand his game. Per Cleaning the Glass, he shot 53% on corner 3s. He took a big leap forward in the 3-point shooting department and was able to take steps forward in the pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop game as well.
Walker played for a rebuilding team in Portland, but he was coached by Chauncey Billups who had a ton of success during his playing career including winning finals MVP in 2004. Billups helped Walker take steps forward and the newest Sixer revealed the biggest lesson he took from his former coach.
“Keep the main thing the main thing,” Walker said. “I think what separates guys is knowing what they bring and being able to do that at a high level, and obviously, working on things to bring that at some point. I think I’ve learned my role and the things that I do at a high level here that’ll always keep me on the floor. Then there’s times like during the summer right now where I’m working on things that nobody knows I really have so that when the time comes, I can show that.”
The biggest step forward Walker took under the tutelage of Billups and his staff was as a 3-point shooter. As mentioned, he shot a respectable percentage in 2024-25, but that was after he shot only 28.6% as a rookie and 29.5% in his second season in the league. He only attempted 1.2 triples per game in his final season in Portland, but the work he put in was important.
“First off, it would be very important in a situation like this,” Walker said of his 3-point shooting. “Just relieving pressure off the main guys. We have some great ball-handlers and creators and they attract a lot of attention so what’s needed is that 3-point shot. I think putting a lot of time into it has helped me a lot.”
Obviously, it took some time, but that time with the Blazers allowed Walker to steps forward and grow into who he is currently as a player.
“It took me a year or two just to get adjusted to the 3-point line,” Walker explained. “I don’t think my legs had enough to comprehend the game and then being efficient from the line so I took a summer just strictly shooting, changed some things about my form to make a little bit more fluid, and it’s been effective. It showed that with the limited shots.”
The Sixers will hope that Walker’s time with Billups will help him in this new situation in Philadelphia.