Just how stocked do you think this makes Xavier’s cupboard?
First off, the numbers. Isaiah Walker, Richard Pitino’s latest transfer in, had a solid season last year. He averaged 10.8/5.8/2.2 and shot 46.4% from the floor and 32.7% from deep. From the free throw line he was nails at 80.2% and made at least one game winning free throw, the one pictured above. His offensive efficiency was 116.9. In short, the guy played really well.
Belmont, you may have noticed, was not in the Big East last season. The Bruins were a solid MVC team that Drake knocked out in their conference tournament. Bennett Stirtz went crazy, Isaiah Walker went for 7/5/2 on six shots and didn’t turn the ball over. He had an offensive efficiency of 129, tops on his team, but he didn’t really change the game.
And therein lies the rub. Make no mistake, Walker can change games. He got Illinois St. for 24, UIC for 18, Missouri St for 18 and had multiple games with an offensive efficiency over 140. He’s very capable of getting hot and going off. Like Malik Moore, though, he’s not a guy who grabs the ball and goes. His usage rate last year was 16.4%. That’s less than Jerome Hunter.
The optimist looks at this signing and sees yet another solid piece to add to Xavier. Walker is a big body guard who is coming home to play, plays efficiently, can shoot it a bit but doesn’t rely solely on the three, rebounds very well for his size, and has three good years of experience. Squint a bit and look for a recent comp and you might get Marcus Foster.
The pessimist wonders exactly when this team is going to land a bona fide stud. Walker is nice, but he may be just a piece. It’s going to take something very special for him to even get to 20. In fact, the next time he does that will be the first of his career. It’s not hard to see Walker as just a guy. Someone has to come off the bench and play 15 minutes on a good team. Walker seems well suited to that, but maybe not much more.
So, how do you see the guy? Maybe that’s how you’ll see Xavier this year. If you think that Walker can be a big part of a winning team because of his efficiency and ability to take care of the ball, this move probably looks good to you. If you think that Xavier has now added a lot of pieces, but has no real star, this move may look like just another part of a rebuild. Are you an optimist or a pessimist?