Hot Takes on Pacers' Jarace Walker vs. Magic's Anthony Black, Jett Howard

The Indiana Pacers have been in the midst of a rebuild for quite some time, and they look to have found a strong cornerstone in rookie forward Jarace Walker.

The No. 8 pick in this year's draft put forth a strong performance in Monday's 108-85 win over the Orlando Magic at NBA summer league in Las Vegas, recording 16 points, four rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in the blowout victory.

Walker showed he can be an effective finisher on the inside. He was a solid third option next to second-year players Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin. Nembhard had a game-high 21 points and seven assists while Mathurin added 17 points.

Walker does need to work on his efficiency, as he shot 7-of-17 from the field and just 2-of-8 from three-point range. However, he was effective on defense and he clearly outplayed Magic rookies Jett Howard and Anthony Black. Howard finished with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting, while Black had eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.

NBA Twitter was excited by what it saw from Walker, with many projecting the 19-year-old to have a bright future:

The Pacers have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, but they have a strong core of young players who can help turn things around. Walker is one of them, and the 19-year-old looks poised to contribute right away as Indiana aims to be more competitive next season.

Walker and the Pacers will be back in action on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.