September 23, 2026
David Butler II/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jabari Walker has until early January to prove he is worth keeping around.
Welcome to PhillyVoice's series of Sixers player previews ahead of the 2026-27 season.
After two years of volatility, Sixers fans entered this offseason teetering on apathy. Then came new Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey, the architect of what became a dream summer. Gansey traded Paul George away, landing five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics. As Gansey accumulated depth around Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, the door opened for an unfathomable addition.
LeBron James is a member of the Sixers, rounding out one of the most talented starting lineups in recent NBA history. And suddenly, the Sixers have cultivated more local and national interest than ever before. Games are not won on paper, but the Sixers are built to be full-blown championship contenders for however long James remains in Philadelphia.
As Sixers Media Day on Sept. 28 nears, our player preview series will focus on two key questions surrounding each member of the team's 14-player standard roster.
Up next: Jabari Walker, a two-way contract signee last summer whose strong first impression led him to secure a standard contract. Walker has only $250,000 guaranteed out of about $2.6 million; the rest of the money becomes guaranteed on Jan. 10. Does Walker have a pathway to rotation minutes on this team? How can he avoid being waived for financial purposes?
SIXERS PLAYER PREVIEWS
Joel Embiid | Labaron Philon Jr. | Dean Wade | Dominick Barlow
Adem Bona | Tyrese Maxey | VJ Edgecombe | Jaylen Brown
Ariel Hukporti | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Anfernee Simons | Jabari Walker
Walker benefitted from tremendous opportunity last season; he and Dominick Barlow started the season on two-way contracts but immediately became full-time rotation players because the team did not have any certainties at power forward. With James locked into the starting power forward spot and Dean Wade set to fill in when necessary, there are fewer minutes up for grabs than ever at the four.
Walker's chances of being in the rotation on any sort of consistent basis will skyrocket if Sixers head coach Nick Nurse is willing to give him an extended look as a small-ball five. Last year, both Walker and Barlow had successful stints there, but Nurse never leaned into either look all that much. Walker is not as well-rounded of a player as Barlow, but he is much stronger.
Nurse routinely called Walker the team's best defensive rebounder last season; that was high praise on a roster also including Andre Drummond. He might have also been their best offensive rebounder, though Drummond and Barlow could both dispute that claim.
Jabari Walker grabbed three offensive rebounds in the Sixers' loss to Toronto on Monday: pic.twitter.com/FfYMVCpxiU
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) January 12, 2026
What are Walker's objectives when he slides up to center?
"Just being dirty, honestly, and just being more physical," Walker said after a brief and successful trial run there in November. "Getting Tyrese and all the guys open, setting some harder screens, being in that dunker spot, cleaning up, getting big rebounds. Just some of the things I already do, just elevating it."
As things stand now, the backup center spot behind Embiid is the weak point of this team's depth chart. While Barlow should enter the season with a decent runway in terms of minutes at the four, Walker should not anticipate having the same luxury. Using his bruising skillset to prove himself as a viable center would go a long way towards boosting his stock.
SIXERS FILM STUDIES
Jaylen Brown's strengths | Jaylen Brown's weaknesses
Anfernee Simons | Dean Wade | Ariel Hukporti
If the Sixers waive Walker ahead of his guarantee date, they will not just open up a roster spot they can play with in trade talks over the following few weeks, but also another $1.2 million or so in room below their hard cap at the first apron. Waiving Walker would not provide a major benefit instantaneously, every dollar matters in this salary cap environment. That extra maneuverability could become the difference between the Sixers executing a difference-making trade and not.
Walker has to prove that he is not just worth his roster spot, but that keeping him is worth bypassing the rare ability to cut costs beneath a hard cap just a few weeks before the trade deadline.
How can he do that? This team still projects to be subpar when it comes to defensive rebounding; James might be their best at it among projected rotation players. Every time Walker has a chance to play, he has to change the tenor of the game on the glass. His defensive physicality is excellent; getting a bit better on switches would be helpful. Perhaps most of all, Walker needs years of work on his shooting to pay off.
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 overhauled his jumper last summer. The Sixers track every player's shooting in practices and workouts; their internal numbers suggested he had turned a corner in a meaningful way. Then came a cold spell to start the season, and Walker admitted his confidence was shaken. His teammates and coaches poured their own confidence into him as much as they could; at times the results came. Walker needs to always shoot with quickness and confidence. The Sixers believe that if he does, the shots will fall.
"I'm really asking him frequently to take those threes, especially – again, he's a good shooter," Nurse said last year. "Like, his numbers and things that he charts, they're really high. But again, you've got to have the feel of meaningful games, just to get the confidence. We're really working hard to get him to take those... If he can just get to a stage where he can process it a little sooner, that he knows he's open as the ball's in the air coming to him and take a few more, he's going to make a bunch."
SIXERS SIGN LEBRON JAMES
James' decision | Projecting Sixers' rotation | James' impact, on and off the court
