Indiana Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan believes the organization knew Jarris Walker would be their 2023 lottery pick after his competitive individual workout with player development coach Jannero Pargo.
(via Indiana Pacers):
Reporter: “Chad, was there a specific moment when you felt like you knew Garras was the guy you wanted in the top 10?”
Buchanan: “I think going into this season we watched Garas as a sophomore and they were really intrigued. Once we looked at our roster moving forward, we knew that a power forward position was something we’ve been trying to fill for a few years. So you always look at the next group of candidates for that, And I really started to see some things at the high school level that got us interested in. Then see it throughout the year in Houston, coming from a program where it’s built on toughness and grit and players play the right way, which is how we mirror how we want to play as well.
“And I think getting to know him through the recruiting process, interviewing him, his looks and how he plays and his personality, they don’t always match up because he seems to be this tough tough guy on the field, which is what we want, but he’s a great guy, very personable, fun to be around, and I know he’s He would fit into our team really well. I think the payoff was the workout for us. He came in here, a solo workout. We had Janiro Pargo there just fighting with him in a one-on-one situation, and I’m sure Garras wanted to punch him by the end of the workout. But you saw his competitive juices coming out And I think at that point, we were like, ‘This is our man! This is our man!’ Excited to get him.”