Ja'Kobe Walter did not play meaningful regular-season minutes until Game Four, when he logged 10 minutes and took two shots. Early wing minutes went to other bench players, leaving Walter as a low priority. By the playoffs, he became Toronto’s most featured shooter and a top perimeter defender, averaging 39 minutes and 10 attempted triples over the final three contests. A hip pointer injury on January 11 ended his early run, during which he averaged 3.2 triples and shot 36.7% from deep. After missing about two weeks, he returned with improved shooting and regained his role, finishing the regular season at 44.3% from deep on more attempts.
"By the playoffs, Walter was Toronto's best and most featured shooter, the team's best (or close to it) perimeter defender, and a mainstay in the rotation, averaging 39 minutes and 10 attempted triples per game over the final three contests."
"On January 11, Walter left a game after suffering a hip pointer injury. He had been ... fine to that point in the season. Perhaps better than fine, bordering on promising. But he was attempting a modest 3.2 triples per game - far from enough - and shooting only 36.7 percent from deep. He lost his minutes to that point by more than 100 points."
"Walter missed about two weeks with his injury. When he returned, he had evolved into a new version of himself. From Charmander to Charmeleon. It took him a few more weeks to get his legs (and hips) back under him, but from March onward he basically didn't miss. When the dust settled, Walter shot 44.3 percent from deep from his return from that hip pointer injury until the end of the regular season, and on more attempts to boot. He won his minutes by more than 100 points."
"Too much analysis in the NBA is about 3-point shooting.. Sometimes, though, it is just as important as surface-level understanding makes it out to be."
Read at Raptors Republic
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