DETROIT — The Philadelphia 76ers continue to receive some good production out of big man Jabari Walker as of late. The 4-year big man played well enough to begin the season to be converted from a two-way deal to a standard one and is now playing at a high level.
Over his last six games, Walker is averaging 52.6% from deep and averaging 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds. His 3-point percentage, in particular, has been a big help for this group. He is now shooting 33.7% from deep on the season as he has been able to build a respectable percentage from beyond the arc.
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After scoring 16 points and knocking down two triples in Thursday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, Walker explained his recent uptick in 3-point shooting.
“Just sticking to it,” Walker said after the loss. “Knowing that that’s who I am. So many reps and so many times when I shoot it a certain way. Obviously, having some big games helps, because then it kind of gets that monkey off my back where I say, ‘OK, I need to see I seen it go in.’ You know, shooting is 70% mental.”
To Walker’s point, the mental aspect is a big thing in shooting, and in basketball in general. As long as Walker is able to continue to have the confidence in himself to shoot the basketball and continue to be willing to take those looks, he is going to be a big part of this group.
“I feel like just wanting to shoot it, and feeling like you can make it on the court is the biggest thing,” Walker finished. “I feel like, when it goes up, I have a chance to make it so it makes me want to shoot it more.”
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If the Sixers can receive more of this production from Walker, then they will certainly be happy with giving him more opportunities from beyond the arc.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers’ Jabari Walker explains recent uptick in 3-point percentage