Scouting and Highlights: Jarvis Walker (2020)
Jarvis Walker, of Muskegon Mona Shores, is one of the top 2020s in the state. He had a great AAU season running with Greenwood Elite which materialized into an offer from one of the top D2 schools in the country in Ferris State. The 6’1″ guard is a jack-of-all-trades player, as he does everything well with no true weakness. He’s already filled out fairly well at a young age – lack of strength is and won’t be an issue for him. If Walker can carry his momentum from AAU season into this high school season, he’ll have a great sophomore campaign.
Here’s my take on Walker’s game:
Strengths:
Athleticism – Walker has all the tools athletically except for elite leaping ability. You can tell he’s a football player when he steps on the hardwood – he’s tough and not afraid of contact. Walker uses his athleticism to make all types of plays on both sides of the floor. One thing he does well is maintain control of his body, something that many young players struggle to do.
Motor – Walker plays with a ton of effort on both sides of the ball. He also crashes the glass hard – he’s an above average rebounder at just 6’1″. Walker’s combination of a great motor and above average athleticism make him the type of player coaches love.
Playmaking – Walker is one of those players who just seems to make plays. He can impact a game in a variety of ways, whether it be scoring, passing, rebounding or defensively. Offensively, he’s just as good of a passer as he is scorer – if the defense helps on his drive, he’ll find the open man, if not, he’ll finish for himself. Walker is a valuable player because he doesn’t need to dominate the ball to make plays.
Finishing – Walker is excellent around the rim. He has a soft touch and a plethora of moves to get the shot/layup off in close. Combine this with his strength and athleticism and you get a a guy who can finish very efficiently in close. Walker gets a good majority of his points in this fashion.
Areas For Development:
Shooting – Walker is by no means a bad shooter. In fact, he’s an able shooter out through the three point line. However, he’s only 6’1″ with a game that relies heavily on attacking the basket. He’s certainly able to get away with this at a younger age, but as he gets older, it will get increasingly difficult to rely on finishing for a majority of your points at only 6’1″. If Walker can become an elite three point shooter, he’ll be super dangerous offensively.
Handles – Similar to his shooting ability, Walker’s handles aren’t bad. However, they could be improved. If Walker could develop a couple go-to dribble moves to break a defender down 1-on-1, it’ll help advance his game to the next level.