In 2018, the Spurs picked Lonnie Walker IV, a crazy-haired child from Reading, Pennsylvania. Walker never realized his full potential in San Antonio, but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t an NBA talent. He played four years with the franchise that picked him, averaging 12 points per game in his final season with them.
Unfortunately, he declined as a three-point shooter, and his defense was poor, making it simple to see why the front office let him go at the time. And, to be clear, I am not recommending that the Spurs bring him back. I’m talking about a player who averaged 12 points per game for the injury-plagued 76ers last season.
Three rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 24 minutes each game earns you a job somewhere.
Walker has generally played for inferior clubs since leaving the Spurs.
He spent his debut year with the Los Angeles Lakers. He maintained his 12-point per-game scoring average but began making three-pointers at a far higher rate than the previous year. Walker increased his deep shooting percentage from 31% to 37% during his final year with the Spurs.
The pogo stick athlete even shared a memorable playoff encounter with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Walker erupted in a series-defining game against the Golden State Warriors, hitting 6/9 and scoring all 15 points in the fourth quarter to help the Purple and Gold win by three points. They won the series, but were eliminated in four games by the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.
Following that, he spent time with a horrible Brooklyn Nets team, and last season, he spent a significant portion of the year in Lithuania with EuroLeague club Zalgiris Kaunas. Eventually, he signed a two-year contract with Philadelphia and appeared in 20 games.
They chose not to renew his contract for the second year, therefore he is once again available.
You mean to tell me that no club can’t benefit from an athletic guard who can shoot threes slightly over league average, average 12 points per game, and energize his team with highlight plays? I find that difficult to believe. As much as I hate to see the Lakers succeed, they still need help around Luka Doncic with depth.
Walker would be a fantastic match back in Los Angeles. However, the Lakers haven’t done a great job of developing their rosters without assistance. Perhaps another team will wise up and add a great player to their squad, but there are plenty of companies out there that don’t know what they’re doing.
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