Jarace Walker surging before extension eligibility

Jan 27, 2026 6:26 PM

Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker is heading toward an important offseason, as he’ll become eligible for a contract extension starting in July.

With that looming, the timing has been encouraging for the 22-year-old, who has delivered some of the strongest performances of his NBA career this month.

That stretch includes a career-high 26-point outing last Friday in Oklahoma City against the league’s top-ranked defense.

After the game, head coach Rick Carlisle highlighted the significance of the moment, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

“This is an enormous moment for him in his young career,” Carlisle said.

“He just showed all the things that he can do out there. From the shooting to the driving to the defense to the rebounding to passing. It was great to see that.”