March 06, 2026
Stephen Lew/Imagn Images
Can Jabari Walker finally assert himself as a permanent rotation fixture for the Sixers?
PHILADELPHIA – After scoring a season-high 20 points in garbage time on Tuesday night – the lone positive of the Sixers' horrid blowout loss at the hands of Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs – nothing could stop Jabari Walker from entering Wednesday's matchup with the Utah Jazz carrying positive energy. Not even a scratch on a brand-new car.
"I actually had an unfortunate event today. So I just got a new car, and I was driving it for no less than 30 minutes, and I scratched it today," Walker said after setting a new season-high with 22 points in Wednesday's win over Utah. "...That was an unfortunate event for me. So mentally, I'm walking in here like, 'My brand-new car I just got, I scratched it.' I talked to somebody coming in, I told them the story, they were like, 'It's going to get better for you today' and I was like, 'Alright. I'm in my zone right now. I'm in basketball world, so whatever happened before stays out.' When I saw [my first two shots] go in and I was like, 'Okay, alright, this is a whole new world. I've got a chance to redeem myself.' So I forgot about what happened earlier today after those went in.
Walker, who has been part of a platoon of sorts at the backup power forward spot behind Dominick Barlow, has finally made some serious inroads on a permanent rotation role again. He has a major opportunity ahead of him as Paul George's suspension nears its end.
In this week's Friday film, evaluating Walker's strong surge and the Sixers' recent uptick in puzzling defensive gaffes:
In the exact same chair he sat in not even 24 hours later to discuss another season-high scoring output and his scratched car, Walker professed an excitement on Tuesday night to just get back on the floor as soon as he possibly could after the rhythm he created for himself against the Spurs:
Jabari Walker only played in garbage time during the Sixers' loss to San Antonio on Tuesday, but managed to score a season-high 20 points. All of his made baskets: pic.twitter.com/TxcsPJjpAY
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 4, 2026
"If it was up to me, I'd rather not sleep and just get back out there right now," Walker said. "I'm just going to separate the days with eight hours of rest and then just kind off think of it as a continuation. Obviously, it's a different team, but the mindset doesn't change. Just kind of let the days blend together and carry this over to tomorrow."
That he did. Walker was, more or less, the only player on the Sixers to bring anything resembling their best effort on Wednesday. A morass of underwhelming showings nearly sunk the Sixers against a tanking Jazz team, and it was Walker's red-hot three-point shooting start and constant energy on the glass that swung the game in their favor. Walker knocked down his first four attempts from long range, much to the delight of teammates and coaches who have been passionately encouraging him to fire away dating back to training camp.
"We've been trying to get him to play like that," Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. "Because he is – I said this a long time ago – he is a really good shooter. You just have to get used to the NBA feel and having enough to pull the trigger on them, and [he's been] noticeably better in his last few games. He's just running the floor, it comes to him and he's open and not much hesitation on them. And he's always good on the glass, so it's nice that he can make some really good defensive rebounds for us."
Walker finished the game with 10 rebounds on top of his 22 points, including the decisive defensive rebound which led to his game-sealing free throws in the final seconds. But Walker's tenacity on the glass on both ends of the floor has been one of the lone constants of a Sixers season partly defined by incessant change. It is the three-point shooting that Walker needs to prove is now a reliable part of a game in order for him to stick. That much is obvious, and it has led to Walker, who is well-liked in the locker room, receiving over-the-top enthusiasm in practices when he confidently steps into his threes. That is exactly what he did on Wednesday:
Jabari Walker had his best shooting/scoring and hustle/rebounding game on the same night Wednesday as he led the Sixers to a win over the Utah Jazz. Walker finished with 22 points (4-7 3P) and 10 boards.
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 5, 2026
A terrific highlight reel for Walker in his second straight 20-point game: pic.twitter.com/VTbjGTbcuL
Walker was emotive all night long, something that has gradually become more common as the season went on. Walker is rather quiet and mild-mannered, so his outbursts of emotion may seem out of character. But perhaps Walker is not exactly who he appeared to be.
"I'm actually kind of crazy," Walker said. "...Yeah, something's really wrong with me."
When I asked Jabari Walker about his emotive nature after his hustle plays, I didn’t expect him to say anything I haven’t heard before. Then he said “people that actually know me [know] I’m actually kind of crazy” and “something’s really wrong with me, but…”
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) March 5, 2026
Extremely funny: pic.twitter.com/11PFhiab7p
From his stellar play to comedic storytelling, Walker was on a collective heater on Tuesday and Wednesday. If there is one thing that was wrong about Walker over the course of those two days, it was that he backed up a new car into a pole.
"Honestly, I haven't driven in a while," Walker said, "and Philly [has] very tight spaces."
MORE: How NBA veteran Samaki Walker provided his son with 'foundation' to reach NBA
All year long, Sixers fans have lamented the frequency with which the team has allowed open three-point shots. A fundamental defensive philosophy of Nurse's is to aggressively pursue turnovers – last season, the team's motto was "The Ball Wins," an attempt to emphasize the importance of the possession battle – and he has historically been willing to take the tradeoff of occasional busted coverages.
The holes in Sixers defenses have felt far more prevalent over the last few months, though. And while part of that is the aggressive scheme many have called for Nurse to dial back, the Sixers have also continually beaten themselves defensively with unforced errors and mental miscues like this one:
Who on the Sixers is guarding Derrick White? pic.twitter.com/e1NuPqe6pp
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 2, 2026
Trendon Watford creates an advantage faking a DHO to Tyrese Maxey, but throws a lob way too early and turns it over: pic.twitter.com/ZO2wfUt4Te
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 4, 2026
A silly miscommunication between Tyrese Maxey and Cam Payne causes the Sixers to give up an easy basket: pic.twitter.com/XSfioTI5Hp
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 4, 2026
The Sixers went to a zone defense in crunch time and almost immediately left the other team's best player wide open for three: pic.twitter.com/PEKGL7ztr9
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) March 5, 2026
Because they had prolific offensive talents and one of the league's elite rim protectors cleaning things up on the back end, the Sixers have not necessarily needed to be completely locked in for 48 minutes. Now, being dialed in from the opening tip to the final buzzer is mandatory. It is not just on Maxey; this is a team-wide issue and Kelly Oubre Jr. might be the most common offender. But the Sixers have to be more than the sum of their parts on defense, and lately they have been less.
MORE: Is Nurse on the hot seat?
