# content
Moral victories are for the weak, but a lost battle can still have value. Jarace Walker scored 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting and 5 of 6 from deep. That’s something the Indiana Pacers hope to see more of despite the loss to the Detroit Pistons.

“It’s always nice making shots, especially when you put so much time and effort into it each and every day. So it’s nice. I mean, a win would have been nicer, but it’s part of it,” Walker said after the game.

Having only three guys scoring wasn’t why the Pacers lost in that game Walker was one of seven who reached double-digits against the Pistons. They need more — and expected more — from him as the season goes forward if they want to turn these close games into wins.

Despite finishing with 21 points, he didn’t get going until the third quarter, with only two shooting attempts in the first half. Walker helped himself by mimicking the modern NBA shot chart in terms of where his shots came from. He avoided mid-range attempts and was either launching it from deep or driving to the rim.

https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2025/11/24/0022500283/477/2e0704dd-fca4-4396-98f8-2e882e312469_1280x720.mp4

Expectations for Walker are high, but consistency is needed

Jarace is experiencing a lot of growing pains, simply put. He’s nearly 9% worse on shooting threes this season and was in a massive cold streak to start the season. Monday’s game ended a nine-game streak where he was shooting 26.7% from the field and averaging 7.8 points.

Walker seemed to embody the narrative around the Pacers in the sense that we know he is better than the 33.5% shooter he has been this year. We also had seen little evidence this season that he was better than outside of a few decent games. Still, the fact that he should be making more than that and being more of an offensive impact on the Pacers like he has been in the past is part of the reason he continues to see the floor. Walker said that continued minutes and experience help him play with more intent as he develops those instincts.

“I would just say reps and the feel. I’m obviously playing more this year, getting more opportunities. I’m out there on the floor more, just night in and night out, just playing, driving the ball each night, the free throw line, did it tonight, but just continue to learn myself, keep the game simple, and make quick decisions,” Walker said.

The fact is, at 22 years old, there will likely be major swings up and down as he settles into his style of play in the NBA. Walker has been asked to inhabit twice as many minutes as last season, so it should be expected that he is still adjusting his role and effort to match his new responsibilities.

In the games, he’s been more pedestrian with struggles on 36.4% shooting, but it’s important to not get stuck on the field goal percentage when he is taking mostly three-pointers. He had an above-average night against the Raptors on 3 of 7 shooting from deep, though 1 of 7 shooting from beyond the arc in the next two games is impossible to spin as something other than a mini-cold streak. Then again, throw in the two good games before that, and he is shooting 45% from long range over the past four games on 20 attempts. A few good outings this week could get that number trending back in the right direction.

https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2025/11/29/0022500295/419/1f71954e-db99-9160-0eac-5cb2f325a6ad_1280x720.mp4

Walker’s play has been encouraging, and worth noting that he’s been asked to play a number of roles this season as a starter and reserve. He has taken the court with an always-changing cast of rotation partners, and like the rest of the Pacers, anything but stability.

The Pacers expect him to transcend those roadblocks at some point. The highs and lows aren’t high enough to keep him in the starting rotation, but worth plugging him in each game and seeing what transpires. Indiana hopes that those frustrations that come with uneven performances eventually pay off with a player who can be trusted to hold off his man on defense and hit shots within the flow of the offense going forward.

-#31-

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Moral victories are for the weak, but a lost battle can still have value. Jarace Walker scored 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting and 5 of 6 from deep. That’s something the Indiana Pacers hope to see more of despite the loss to the Detroit Pistons.

“It’s always nice making shots, especially when you put so much time and effort into it each and every day. So it’s nice. I mean, a win would have been nicer, but it’s part of it,” Walker said after the game.

Having only three guys scoring wasn’t why the Pacers lost in that game Walker was one of seven who reached double-digits against the Pistons. They need more — and expected more — from him as the season goes forward if they want to turn these close games into wins.

Despite finishing with 21 points, he didn’t get going until the third quarter, with only two shooting attempts in the first half. Walker helped himself by mimicking the modern NBA shot chart in terms of where his shots came from. He avoided mid-range attempts and was either launching it from deep or driving to the rim.

https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2025/11/24/0022500283/477/2e0704dd-fca4-4396-98f8-2e882e312469_1280x720.mp4

Expectations for Walker are high, but consistency is needed

Jarace is experiencing a lot of growing pains, simply put. He’s nearly 9% worse on shooting threes this season and was in a massive cold streak to start the season. Monday’s game ended a nine-game streak where he was shooting 26.7% from the field and averaging 7.8 points.

Walker seemed to embody the narrative around the Pacers in the sense that we know he is better than the 33.5% shooter he has been this year. We also had seen little evidence this season that he was better than outside of a few decent games. Still, the fact that he should be making more than that and being more of an offensive impact on the Pacers like he has been in the past is part of the reason he continues to see the floor. Walker said that continued minutes and experience help him play with more intent as he develops those instincts.

“I would just say reps and the feel. I’m obviously playing more this year, getting more opportunities. I’m out there on the floor more, just night in and night out, just playing, driving the ball each night, the free throw line, did it tonight, but just continue to learn myself, keep the game simple, and make quick decisions,” Walker said.

The fact is, at 22 years old, there will likely be major swings up and down as he settles into his style of play in the NBA. Walker has been asked to inhabit twice as many minutes as last season, so it should be expected that he is still adjusting his role and effort to match his new responsibilities.

In the games, he’s been more pedestrian with struggles on 36.4% shooting, but it’s important to not get stuck on the field goal percentage when he is taking mostly three-pointers. He had an above-average night against the Raptors on 3 of 7 shooting from deep, though 1 of 7 shooting from beyond the arc in the next two games is impossible to spin as something other than a mini-cold streak. Then again, throw in the two good games before that, and he is shooting 45% from long range over the past four games on 20 attempts. A few good outings this week could get that number trending back in the right direction.

https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2025/11/29/0022500295/419/1f71954e-db99-9160-0eac-5cb2f325a6ad_1280x720.mp4

Walker’s play has been encouraging, and worth noting that he’s been asked to play a number of roles this season as a starter and reserve. He has taken the court with an always-changing cast of rotation partners, and like the rest of the Pacers, anything but stability.

The Pacers expect him to transcend those roadblocks at some point. The highs and lows aren’t high enough to keep him in the starting rotation, but worth plugging him in each game and seeing what transpires. Indiana hopes that those frustrations that come with uneven performances eventually pay off with a player who can be trusted to hold off his man on defense and hit shots within the flow of the offense going forward.

-#31-

Rate this:

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Jarace Walker is finding his shot. The Pacers need more of it going forward.

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Jarace Walker is finding his shot. The Pacers need more of it going forward.

# preview.content
Moral victories are for the weak, but a lost battle can still have value. Jarace Walker scored 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting and 5 of 6 from deep. That's something the Indiana Pacers hope to see more of despite the loss to the Detroit Pistons.

"It's always nice making shots, especially when you put so much time and effort into it each and every day. So it's nice. I mean, a win would have been nicer, but it's part of it," Walker said after the game.

Having only three guys scoring wasn't why […]

# summary
Moral victories are for the weak, but a lost battle can still have value. Jarace Walker scored 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting and 5 of 6 from deep. That's something the Indiana Pacers hope to see more of despite the loss to the Detroit Pistons.

"It's always nice making shots, especially when you put so much time and effort into it each and every day. So it's nice. I mean, a win would have been nicer, but it's part of it," Walker said after the game.

Having only three guys scoring wasn't why […]

# summaryMap.en
Moral victories are for the weak, but a lost battle can still have value. Jarace Walker scored 21 points on 8 of 10 shooting and 5 of 6 from deep. That's something the Indiana Pacers hope to see more of despite the loss to the Detroit Pistons.

"It's always nice making shots, especially when you put so much time and effort into it each and every day. So it's nice. I mean, a win would have been nicer, but it's part of it," Walker said after the game.

Having only three guys scoring wasn't why […]