Houston's Jarace Walker Plans to Declare for 2023 NBA Draft; Projected Lottery Pick

After Houston's season came to an end with a Sweet 16 loss to Miami, Jarace Walker said he intends to enter the 2023 NBA draft.

Walker confirmed following the Cougars' 89-75 defeat on Friday night he plans to turn pro after one year in college.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has Walker ranked as the sixth-best player in this year's draft class:

"Aside from the easy baskets he picks up off his power and length, he's demonstrated promising shooting range (33 3PTM), shot-making from the post and footwork and touch shots on drives past closeouts. His NBA coach may also be surprised to see how skilled of a live-dribble passer he is, something he was able to show more of at IMG."

Walker's decision doesn't come as a surprise, especially since head coach Kelvin Sampson said on his radio show on March 6 that he expected as much.

The Baltimore native has been preparing for the NBA since high school, when he transferred to IMG Academy for the 2018-19 academic year.

IMG has one of the most prestigious high school basketball programs in the country. Walker was on the team that won the national title in April 2019 by defeating No. 1 La Lumiere, 65-55, in the championship game.

A 5-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, Walker committed to Houston in November 2021. He earned AAC Freshman of the Year honors after averaging 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

The Cougars spent seven weeks ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this season. They earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1983 and tied the school record with 33 wins.

Wasserman recently projected Walker to be the No. 5 overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2023 draft on the strength of his "outstanding" size and "flashes of shooting, touch shots, close-out drives and passes" that have the potential to get better as he gains experience.

Power forward isn't a position the Magic need to fill with Paolo Banchero having an outstanding rookie season and Bol Bol emerging as a capable role player, but they can add the best talent and figure out the fit later.