Poor genius! He averaged 12+3+2 per game, but he still couldn t get the NBA recruitment. He was only 26 years old and lived in Europe!

Recently, European basketball media revealed a news that the traditional powerhouse Tel Aviv Maccabi in the Israeli League reached an agreement with Lonnie Walker. After three years of signing, the total contract value reached US$10 million. This means that the 26-year-old Walker returned to European basketball for the second time in half a year, and this time is likely to make him lose the opportunity to continue in the NBA in the future. After this news was confirmed, many Walker fans were a little disappointed. After all, since he entered the NBA, he has shown outstanding talent. As a firefighter of the 76ers last season, he averaged 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Logically speaking, he has a full chance to stay in the NBA. So why is he still eliminated by the NBA? Let’s find out below!

1. The shooting stability is poor and the output cannot be guaranteed.

Let's first look at the value of Walker's offensive end. He started in the NBA in the 18-19 season and until the end of this season, he played in the NBA for a total of 7 seasons, averaging 10 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Overall, although the output of a starting level player cannot be met, if it is a substitute rotation, it seems to meet the team's requirements, but there are many problems behind it. So far in his career, his shooting and three-point shooting percentages are only 42.2% and 35.6% respectively. This is not a satisfactory number for him who plays as a shooting guard, especially now that he is still in the small ball era, it is difficult to survive in the NBA without a stable shooting. Some fans believe that Walker's ability to attack the frame is pretty good, and he has also become a substitute surprise who has surpassed the Lakers in the 2023 playoffs, and should be worth a position. But the problem is that it is difficult to be convincing when he can only perform this way occasionally.

Moreover, if you look carefully at Walker's game, you will find a very obvious flaw, that is, his shooting stability is not only poor, but his offensive choice is also debatable. His shooting pace is too slow and his feel is lacking in softness, which is very unfavorable in today's era of fast offense. Of course, the most important thing is that as a guard who is good at rushing the ball with the ball, his finishing rate is very bad, with his career shooting percentage of only 54.2%, lower than the average level of guards in the league. In addition, his body has never increased muscles. His body is too thin. Once he faces defensive pressure, his posture will deform. The most obvious thing is that in the playoffs, his basket finishing rate plummeted to 48%, so he cannot even score points with an advantageous scoring method. Even if he plays a good goal in one stage, it is difficult to attract other teams.

2. Insufficient organizational capabilities and serious disconnection in defense.

Let's talk about Walker's other issues. In today's small ball era, the requirements for defenders are not just as simple as having three-pointers, but also need to be able to pass the ball in time after attracting defense, or directly serve as the organizer to connect the team's offense. People like Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray and others are no longer limited to shooting guards. And what about Walker? His lack of three-point ability has caused his threat to plummet, making it difficult for the team to create enough offensive space. Although holding the ball to attack the box is his advantage, his lack of vision and lack of determination to pass the ball makes it impossible for him to tear the defense and create opportunities for his teammates. So far in his career, he has averaged only 1.5 assists per game, which is the best proof. In this way, he will be more passive in the game. Once the opponent is pinched the offensive line, his role is basically zero.

Of course, Walker also has many problems on the defensive end. Although he has enviable physical fitness, this is not the case. His defensive awareness is very poor. Once the opponent launches a complex position transfer tactic, he will easily become a loophole for the opponent, form a misplaced single, and score points on his head. And it is precisely because of his excellent physical fitness that Walker is a little fluttering, and he often gets used to blindly grabbing or gambling-style interception, resulting in frequent loss of defensive position. According to data, when Walker is on the court, his team's defensive efficiency will drop by 3.2, while his opponent's shooting percentage will increase by 4.8%, which is a total countdown in the NBA. Moreover, Walker's awareness of assisting defense is also very average, so on the court, not only does his offensive role be limited, but his defensive end also has no contribution, so he naturally gradually lost the opportunity.

3. It is difficult to integrate into the system and is more suitable for European basketball.

Finally, let’s talk about Walker’s other shortcomings. Looking back at his years in the NBA, whether it was the Spurs, Lakers, or later the Nets and the Sixers, you will obviously find that Walker is completely out of touch with the overall rhythm and system of the team during the game. He emphasized that the Spurs, who emphasized team basketball, was given up by the team because of too many inefficient singles. In the Lakers, it is because they do not have three-point shooting and always become a black hole on the defensive end, and their status is gradually marginalized. The only thing worthy of praise is that his performance on the 76ers this season was precisely because the team had to perform badly when the wounded soldiers were all over the camp and no one was available, which gave him room to play freely. Walker's playing style is relatively suitable for Europe. After all, the European system advocates the overall situation more, but there is only one point missing. Walker is a player who can make up for this defect. He has proved his ability in the Lithuanian League last season. This time he went to Israel, he might have performed better, but it was a bit disappointing that he was obviously a genius who could succeed in the NBA, but due to various objective factors, he finally had to leave at the age of 26 at the golden age of 26.