Name: Bill Walker Position: Small Forward Height: 6-6 (1.98m) Weight: 225 (102kg) College Team: Kansas State Wildcats Nationality: American Birthplace: Huntington, West Virginia Birthdate: 10/9/1987 Drafted: Selected by the Washington Wizards in the second round (47th pick overall) of 2008 NBA Draft.

Strengths: At his best Walker is an excellent athlete capable of jumping with the best of them … Has shown the ability to develop into a quality perimeter shooter … Highly underrated basketball IQ that has led him to remain highly effective despite last season's ACL injury … Good finisher around the basket where his body control and ability to hover in the air allow him to maneuver successfully in traffic … Has no problem posting-up smaller defenders where he uses his upper body strength to create contact and finish … This enables him to get to the free throw line at a solid rate … Quality passer with above average court vision to see the floor … Locker room guy who seems to not only have the respect of teammates, but one whom they clearly enjoy playing with … Highly efficient on fast break or in transition where he is capable of converting difficult finishes … Has a solid 1st step that he will often use to take a quick dribble for the baseline drive … Has three point range on his jumper … Defensively, he displays good effort and does a good job using his body strength to disrupt players … Reportedly lost 25 pounds after the season, which could help him regain some of his athleticism … Has a mean streak to keep dominating no matter what the opposition is … Work ethic is not only very good, but widely unreported … Upside remains relatively high as there is still considerable time before he reaches the ceiling of his potential … Excellent rebounder for his position ...

Weaknesses: Long term health and durability should be major concerns for anyone looking to invest a first round pick … Suffered ACL injury to right knee as an 8th grader, and a left ACL injury as a freshman last season … Not the greatest creator off the dribble due to his average ball handling … Hasn’t played with the explosiveness he displayed in high school, which is clearly a result of the various knee injuries, but to his credit he seems to be slowly gaining some of it back … Perimeter shooting remains inconsistent, which is contributed to rushing himself and choppy follow through … Seems to do better shooting the ball when his feet are set than shooting off the dribble … Perimeter defense has improved but still shows the need for an upgrade in lateral quickness … Can be too aggressive, allowing his emotions get the best of him on defense, which causes him to become foul prone … A tweener to a degree in that he is stuck between the small forward and shooting guard positions … His lack of ability to create scoring for himself from the perimeter often leads him to post-up - this will not work in the NBA … Can be prone to making irrational court decisions and forcing plays when he would be better off passing the ball … Needs to become better in isolation moves where one or two dribble moves, jab steps, and head fakes are the currency for most offensive players to gain space or full separation from their defender …

Matthew Maurer - 6/24/08