13 - Jordan Walsh

6-7, 205 Small Forward/Power Forward
Arkansas Freshman
Birthday
03/03/04 (20.7 yrs)
Hometown
Desoto, TX
High School
Link Academy
Team Site Profile
Athleticism
8
Size
9
Defense
8
Strength
7
Quickness
7
Leadership
7
Jump Shot
7
NBA Ready
7
Ball Handling
6
Potential
8
Passing
8
Intangibles
7

NBA Comparison: DeMarre Carroll/Renaldo Balkman

Strengths: Walsh is a physically gifted 6’7 205 wing with massive length (7’2 wingspan) that allows him to play much bigger and has the frame to easily add muscle … Good, rangy-type athleticism and movement skills; a long strider who runs the floor very well and is a factor in transition … An above the rim finisher who shows strong leaping ability … Really good projections as a versatile defensive player at the pro level; is competitive and instinctive with the active feet and toughness to guard PG-PF, especially as he fills out his frame … Knows how to use his length and athleticism to get back in plays when beat and consistently shows a high motor … Smothers players on the perimeter when defending at the point of attack and is a very hard player to shoot over when he keeps his hands up … Physical tools allow him to be a factor off the ball as he can rotate to disrupt slashers and still get back to close out and contest on jump shooters … Active hands to strip the ball, get deflections and pick pocket ball-handlers (1.1 SPG)…Instincts and hustle also flash on the offensive glass at times (43 offensive rebounds as a Fr), where he can highpoint some misses for 2nd chance points and even if he can’t corral boards he will tip the ball out for others to retain possessions … Is comfortable handling the ball in transition and is a simple, yet effective passer on the move … Will make the extra pass and generally doesn’t force the issue … Solid job moving without the ball and can get himself some easy baskets by cutting to open spots around the rim … Willing to sacrifice his body for loose balls and extra possessions … Contributes in multiple ways, some that may not show up in box scores, and seems to be an unselfish teammate willing to do whatever to win …

Weaknesses: Offensive game is a major work in progress; particularly in the half court … Arkansas struggled hitting the deep ball all season long and his lack of shooting skills, even when in rhythm or left open, was one of the main reasons why the floor spacing in their offense was poor (27.8 3FG%, only 20 total 3s made as a Fr.) … High, yet slow release, mediocre touch and inconsistent footwork; will need significant improvement and time with a shooting coach to even get close to league-average range as a floor spacer … Very little mid-range game to pull-up for closer shots too … Often passes up open shots and tends to be a pretty easy player to guard, particularly 1-on-1 … Not a scorer; 18 points was his season-high as a Fr. and took 10 or more shots in only 3 games this past season (7.2 PPG) … Nothing special as a ball-handler, mostly a north-south slasher with minimal misdirection or shiftiness to his game … Mediocre efficiency as a finisher for someone with his physical tools and athleticism (51 FG% inside the arc) … Wont get to the FT line very often (1.8 FTA/G on 71 FT%) … Currently operates more like a PF than a wing offensively in terms of skill set and role … Has some playmaking skills that can be harnessed, but they are raw (0.9:1 A:TO) and teams lack of respect for his shooting skills often led to defenders sagging off and cutting off passing lanes … Can be overly reliant on his tools defensively and get very handsy and undisciplined on the perimeter, though he did get better about it as the season went on (2.9 fpg; fouled out of 7 games in ‘22-23)…  Foul trouble and shooting woes often limited his playing time last season, and he was demoted from starter to reserve during the SEC slate (24.4 MPG) … Green prospect with a fairly wide range of skills that need to be polished for him to reach his potential … Plays somewhat passive, not fully utilizing his athletic gifts with finishes around the rim as often as he should …

Overall: Jordan Walsh was a highly touted, consensus 5-star recruit originally from the Dallas area before playing for the Link Academy as a Sr…He was a McDonalds All-American and part of an Arkansas recruiting class that was the highest rated in the country by some recruiting sites, which led to high preseason expectations after their trip to the Elite 8 in 2022…Walsh entered his Fr. season as a starter at forward and a projected 1st round pick in 2023 mock drafts, but seemed to have had growing pains adjusting to the speed of the game and often struggling to defend without fouling and assert himself offensively…He was eventually demoted to a reverse player, but seemed to buy in and settle into the role of a Swiss Army knife type off the Arkansas bench as the SEC conference kicked up and became a pretty invaluable player in their rotation with his timely deflections, suffocating on-ball defense, clutch offensive rebounds and overall knack for making winning plays…Due to his improved play during the critical stretch for an Arkansas team that struggled during the regular season but made it to the Sweet 16 in the 2023 NCAA tourney, Walsh revitalized himself into a prospect to monitor in 2023 Draft convos again after falling out of many mocks earlier in the season, which he further built on after a pretty good NBA Combine week in May…His tantalizing length, athleticism, intangibles and instinctive feel for the game on both ends of the floor are intriguing and teams will look to further build off those skills and traits…Still, there are some glaring holes in his game, as he is a major project on the offensive end, where he was often a liability against set defenses due to his poor shooting and underwhelming overall skill level with the ball…He also will need to work on staying out of foul trouble so his coaches can eventually trust him with an extended workload…Still, there is some upside with Walsh that is worth a team tapping into for the future and it seems that he has built his stock back up enough over the past few months that he’ll have a really good chance of hearing his name called in the 2nd round of the 2023 Draft …

Notes: Measured: 6′ 5.75” barefoot, 8′ 11.00” standing reach, 204.0 lbs, 7′ 1.75” wingspan, and a 36 inch maximum vertical at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine …

Jorrye Nixon 6/13/23

Strengths: 6’7 athletic forward … Very good size and length for a wing with a 7’3 wingspan … Solid strength … High-level athlete with a reported 41-inch vertical. Displays athleticism in the open floor and finds dunk opportunities in the half-court as well … Versatile skill set … Natural and aggressive scorer. Good variety as a scorer, reads opportunities well and can usually convert taking what the defense gives him. While he can get out of control at times, he can create offense out of nothing … Changes speed and direction well with the ball. Effective slasher and covers a lot of ground on drives. Can finish with either hand. Scores in the crowded paint and doesn’t shy away from physicality … Draws fouls at a good rate … Can score in the post, utilizes his size mismatch well … Good tools, intensity, and versatility on the defensive end, showing a lot of potential as a two-way wing. Can lock in on the ball and disrupts the ball-handler, defends off the ball and jumps passes, and can turn defense into offense. Averaged 2 steals per game at each Nike EYBL, NBPA Top 100 (2nd best), and Pangos All-American Camp (1st) in 2021 … Effortless shot and range extends to the 3PT line. Can hit shots off the dribble … Generally, a reliable free throw shooter. Shot 90% FT% at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 … Can thread the needle and is capable of making nice passes. Plays well in transition as both a leader and finisher … Good rebounder for position. Averaged 7.4 rebounds (2.7 offensive) per game over the Nike EYBL in 2021 … Vocal … Assertive, plays hard, and his presence is always felt when he’s on the floor. Never goes through the motions. Highly confident and competitive, doesn’t second guess himself …

Weaknesses: Can improve shooting consistency and scoring efficiency. Averaged 12.3 points per game on 46.8% FG% over the Nike EYBL and 6.8 points per game on 29.4% FG% at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 … Shot 18.8% 3PT% on 1.3 3PT attempts per game over the Nike EYBL and 10.5% 3PT% on 3.2 3PT attempts per game at the NBPA Top 100 in 2021 … Can improve defensive positioning and fundamentals. Leaves his feet, reaches in, and picks up unnecessary fouls at times … Can be very turnover prone, playing loose and trying to do too much. Has room to tighten up as a ball-handler. Throws wild passes at times, isn’t afraid to attempt one-hand full-court passes, among other home run plays, and can improve decision making overall. Looks for fouls and ends up on the floor somewhat often … Wears his emotions at times …

Outlook: Incoming Arkansas freshman … Transferred to Link Academy for his senior year … 2022 McDonald’s All-American … Named to the 2022 Jordan Brand Classic … 2021 Les Schwab Invitational MVP …

Evan Tomes 7/26/22

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