Let’s do a callback, shall we?

Before the start of the season, I attempted to answer the question of who should take the coveted 10th rotation spot on the Pacers. With the Pacers being the deepest team in the league, with upwards of 13 playable rotation players on any night if asked for, it would be a difficult task from the beginning to narrow their rotation down to 10 players and stay consistent night in and night out.

At the time, the tenth starting spot was to be decided between Ben Sheppard or Jarace Walker, both second-year players from the 2023 NBA Draft Class with wildly different stories and each with their own level of upside and potential. Sheppard was arguably the safest bet, having played more in the prior season’s rotation due to injuries and even starting a couple of playoff games. At the same time, Walker was the bigger question mark but still had a chance to grab that last rotation spot because of his high draft position and higher potential as the solution to Indiana’s defensive problems against big, athletic wings.

“The important things are—I’m going to sound like a broken record—physicality, hard play, hit somebody, get rebounds,” coach Rick Carlisle said before the season. “That’s the starting point, and his other gifts will be on display because they will come out as he’s playing the game, but to make this about skill and those kinds of things ahead of hard, physical play would be a mistake. He’s gotten the message. He’s doing a lot of good things through these first two preseason games. He’s been very physical in practice, so I like where he’s at.” 

However, nobody could have foreseen this situation all those days ago. In just the third week of the season, the Pacers have seen two rotation players go down with long-term injuries, along with reserve James Wiseman, who, along with Isaiah Jackson, tore his Achilles and has been ruled out for almost the entire season and a third in Aaron Nesmith missing a few weeks due to a sprained ankle. This has shortened Indiana’s rotation drastically and left them without a second center, leaving Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin to share minutes as a small-ball five. However, this is where the team’s depth has saved them, as Walker and Sheppard have both been given a more secure spot in the rotation and have shown out in their own way.

And show out is precisely what Jarace Walker did last night. In only his 41st NBA game, Walker showed precisely why the Pacers took a gamble on him with the eighth overall pick last year with his best NBA game yet. Against the undermanned Orlando Magic, with Indiana still needing a boost from their bench to win, Walker delivered in scorching-hot fashion. In 23 minutes, Walker lit up Orlando for a career-high 17 points on a perfect 7/7 from the field and 3/3 from deep to go with six rebounds, a team-high two steals, and a block for good measure.

Seriously, Walker was on fire. The whole bench was, in fact. Indiana’s second unit combined for 42 points on an NBA record 90% from the field. Yes, the Indiana Pacers’ bench shot 18/20 from the field and 6/7 from deep for good measure, showcasing their incredible depth and ability to get going on any night. Chief among those bench studs was Walker, whose 17 points were good enough for a four-way tie as the team’s second-leading scorer. Additionally, Walker showed up in the clutch when the Pacers needed extra buckets, with both of his buckets in the fourth quarter coming during crucial parts of the game to raise Indiana’s lead to two and five, respectively. The Gainsbridge faithful realized this was a huge night for Walker and acted accordingly, chanting his name after the game and inciting some wholesome content with Walker, Pascal Siakam, and TJ McConnell in the post-game interview.

“Defensively, he’s really good,” Haliburton said of Walker. “He has a ton of upside on that end which has obviously been spoken about many times. I thought he had some spurts the last two games guarding (Brandon) Ingram and Luka (Doncic). And I was really proud of the way he defended (Franz) Wagner tonight because that’s not an easy cover by any means.”

While Walker didn’t think it was his best defensive game, his teammates were eager to praise him and he made big plays in the first half on that end with a reacharound steal on Franz Wagner to get a transition opportunity, a steal from Jonathan Isaac in the post, and a hustle block to end the first quarter where he it looked like he was out of the play but quickly erased an attempt to beat the buzzer from Mo Wagner.

Before the season, I acknowledged Walker’s flaws and why he is still considered a project, from his loose ball handling and turnovers to his questionable defensive instincts at times to concerns over lateral quickness and consistency at the NBA level. However, those issues can’t be fixed by having the talented forward sit on the bench and watch the action without getting some reps in for himself. Wednesday’s showdown against Orlando was only Walker’s sixth time playing over 20 minutes at the NBA level, and as a result, his fifth game in double figures and a career-high to boot. While having an injury-riddled rotation is never a great thing, the silver lining is it has given Indiana a chance to test out both of their lottery picks with a longer leash than they’ve sometimes received.

“This was a tremendous performance by him. He earned all the minutes,” said Carlisle after the game. “The shot-making was great … His growth is exponential. He’s gotten better in all areas. He’s an elite passer and has great vision. In the NBA he’s probably in the top 5 or 10% in terms of court vision. But in the NBA you must be a threat to score for your passing to be really effective, otherwise they’ll just fake at you. He’s striking the right balance there.”

A little odd timing for that degree of praise of Jarace’s passing when he had zero assists but we’ve seen those flashes of brilliance at times.

The Pacers’ rotation will most likely not change anytime soon. James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson will not play basketball for a long time, and Aaron Nesmith still has a ways to go before he can see the court again. Outside of rumored interest in signing 36-year-old free agent center JaVale McGee for some center depth from the bench, Indiana seems happy with what they have right now, as it has led them to two wins in a row and somehow tied for third in the East. With teams like the Knicks and Bucks struggling to perform to expectations to open the season, the Sixers slogging through injuries, and the East as a whole being relatively weak through the first eight or nine games, this would be the perfect time for Indiana to get over their early-season struggles and get some wins to stash up for when the schedule gets rough again in the future.

“I’m just starting to have fun with it,” said Walker, who mentioned how his rookie season spent mostly on the bench was tough for him. “Just not taking it for granted as well.”

For now, Indiana can rest and prepare for Friday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, knowing that their prized rookie from a year ago is improving with each passing day.