Projected lottery pick Jarace Walker to be sidelined at pro day due to injury
Former Houston freshman Jarace Walker is reportedly dealing with a right elbow injury that will sideline him Tuesday during his pro day, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Walker apparently first suffered the injury in a loss to San Diego State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. He recently aggravated the injury but is expected to be ready to participate in upcoming team workouts as part of the pre-draft process.
The 6-foot-8 forward skipped the 5-on-5 scrimmages at the draft combine last week but took part in on-court drills. He registered the fourth-highest standing vertical jump (34.5 inches) and the 10th-highest max vertical jump (38 inches) of those prospects that participated.
U of Houston F Jarace Walker – No. 5 in ESPN’s Mock Draft – will sit out WME’s Pro Day in Santa Barbara today w/ a sore right elbow, his agents tell ESPN. He hurt his elbow in Sweet 16 game and recently re-aggravated it. He’s expected to be 100 percent again for upcoming team…
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 23, 2023
Walker was named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year after averaging 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 blocks and one steal on 34.7% shooting from 3-point range. He was voted a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman team.
He is considered a lottery pick this year given his ability as a defender. He measured in with a 7-foot, 2.5-inch wingspan at the combine and projects to be a player that can wreak havoc in the passing lanes and on-ball defense with his length.
Walker will have the opportunity to show teams why he should be a high draft pick on June 22 during those workouts and will be back to full health when he begins those visits.
