![\"jarace\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01khbxm0e8wk16vyt9m7.jpg\" "\\"jarace\\"")
<\/p>\nOn Thursday evening, Indiana Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan joined my podcast, Setting The Pace, to discuss several topics surrounding the team, including the development of Jarace Walker.<\/p>\n
When asked about Walker\u2019s early-season struggles and the growth he has shown since his midseason turnaround, Buchanan pointed to confidence and decision-making as key factors.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I think he was going through some indecisiveness with his play, and then sometimes he would get a little more aggressive, and that would lead to some turnovers and some mistakes,\u201d Buchanan said.<\/p>\n
Walker, Buchanan explained, was searching for the proper balance within Indiana\u2019s system.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was trying to find a balance of what is just being a solid, consistent player within our system. We had a game in Houston this year on the road, and we had a shootaround at the University of Houston, which is where he played. I think he had a talk with his former college coach, Coach Kelvin Sampson, which I think really kind of helped him.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Buchanan, something clicked for Walker that night against the Rockets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like that night against Houston, something really clicked for him. Ever since then, he’s been much more solid. He doesn\u2019t feel like he has to try to make something happen. Sometimes just moving the ball is what makes things happen in our system.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Feb 11, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker (5) brings the ball up court against Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin (8) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Buchanan added that Walker\u2019s desire to perform well occasionally worked against him earlier in the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he wants to do well. So sometimes that would force him to try to do a little too much. I think he’s finding the balance of when to just move the ball, when to cut, when to catch and shoot. As the game slows down and he makes simpler decisions with the ball, the more productive he’s been.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even in adverse circumstances, Buchanan has noticed growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night against Brooklyn, he was sick \u2014 he wasn\u2019t feeling very well \u2014 and I thought he was terrific. He\u2019s just finding a comfort and a calm with his role and his game, which often happens for a third-year player. You hope that leads to him taking off to another level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buchanan was also asked whether the trade of Bennedict Mathurin could create a clearer scoring opportunity for Walker with the second unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I think that’s something he can provide,\u201d Buchanan said. \u201cWith that second unit, like you mentioned, with Bennedict not out there, a lot of those guys need to play off other playmakers \u2014 whether that’s T.J. or in the past it was Bennedict. But I think Jarace has the ability to do a lot of playmaking for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buchanan emphasized Walker\u2019s versatility.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has the ability to score. He’s obviously turned into a very consistent shooter. And he’s become more forceful at the basket, which I love.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, one particular play stood out, even though it resulted in a turnover.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night against Brooklyn, he had an offensive foul going to the rim. It was one of my favorite plays I’ve ever seen him make \u2014 and it was an offensive foul,\u201d Buchanan said. \u201cI just love the aggressiveness he’s starting to show. He\u2019s not shy from contact anymore. He\u2019s playing with a forceful edge. And if he can do that, it just brings out more elements to his game and more elements to our bench.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Indiana, Walker\u2019s evolution may prove pivotal as the franchise continues shaping its next competitive window.<\/p>\n
You can follow me on\u00a0X\u00a0@AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast,\u00a0Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Thursday evening, Indiana Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan joined my podcast, Setting The Pace, to discuss several…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3774],"tags":[7,113,126,3866,6,114],"class_list":{"0":"post-601523","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-indiana-pacers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-indiana","10":"tag-indiana-pacers","11":"tag-indianapacers","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-pacers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}