INDIANAPOLIS — After Jamal Sheed finished his pre-draft workout with the Indiana Pacers, he walked off the court and shook hands with several team officials. After the exchange, he was met by a familiar face.
Nearby was Pacers forward Jarrece Walker. The 20-year-old rookie had just finished his first NBA season. Indiana selected him in the lottery last season after one year with the Houston Cougars, where he and Seed were teammates. The two embraced after Seed practiced with Indiana.
Houston went 33-4 with these two players on the team. They advanced to the Sweet 16, with both Walker and Sheed being key to their success. The Cougars finished the season with the third-ranked defense in the country. Basketball Referencesand current Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser were the leading scorers. They were a good team.
Shade is in the pre-draft phase now, hoping to join Sasser and Walker in the NBA. He talked about the pace he was required to go through in practice with the players in blue and gold — all of whom had multiple years of college experience — and his relationship with Walker.
“That's my buddy. It was great to see him,” Seed told the assembled media. “He had a great rookie year. He was a part of something really big. I think he's going to grow. It was great to see him.”
Seed and Walker spoke the night before the workout, and they were talking about the Dallas Mavericks and their play in the Western Conference finals, especially how difficult it is to guard certain players in the NBA.
“It's your third game guarding Kevin Durant, so I get it,” Shade recalled Walker telling him that night. The Pacers-Suns game in Phoenix was Walker's first game this season as a rotation player in the blue and gold. Walker was spotted on Durant frequently, with the superstar wing taking two shots with Walker as his closest defender, NBA tracking data shows.
In their one season together in Houston, Walker averaged 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He also averaged 2.3 steals and blocks per game. Sheed averaged 10.5 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.9 steals and blocks per game that season. Both were strong defenders.
Seed is now pursuing his own NBA dream. He said his fifth pre-draft workout with Indiana went well and believes he can contribute to any team if he does what he's told. The 21-year-old Seed was named Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year last season.
When asked if he could ask Walker for advice about the draft process, Shade said “I can't,” but that's not because they're not close, but because their pre-draft summers were very different.
“His pre-draft process was a little different than mine, so no,” Shade said with a grin. Weicker was the No. 8 overall pick and was projected to be a lottery pick all year. Shade is currently projected to be selected 46th overall in the draft. ESPN's latest draft predictions.
Though they don't talk about draft workouts or anything like that, the two former teammates remain close. That's why they spoke the night before a workout and chatted for a while after it was over. “I talked to him pretty much every week, two or three times a week,” Shade said of his conversations with Walker during the NBA season. “We kept in touch, not just about basketball, but about our personal lives. I kept in touch throughout the season.”
The Pacers hold the 36th, 49th and 50th picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.
