The Raptors may have another developmental piece hiding.
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic had some encouraging words about second-year guard Ja'Kobe Walter before Wednesday night's matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome.
Even as the Raptors went on to fall 119-94, the bigger picture for Walter's development continues to look promising.
Building a Bigger Frame
Before the loss to the Clippers, Rajakovic shared that Walter has put on noticeable size since the start of the 2025-26 season, and the way it happened might be the most impressive part.
"He gained a couple of pounds since the start of the season, actually. At one point he was plus 12 pounds," Rajakovic said. "Now he's plus 7-8 pounds compared to the start of the season, the start of the training camp. That's very impressive because he's able to do that in the middle of the season and through playing significant minutes with us."
For a 21-year-old guard listed at 6-4 and 180 pounds, gaining that kind of weight while staying on the court is a real accomplishment.
And Rajakovic wasn't done praising Walter's progress, adding that the young guard is in a much better place physically than he was just months ago.
"He can still play. He improved a lot. His body is feeling much better. He's much stronger, but he'll need to maximize the summer this year and really add more muscle to his body."
Walter's Growth on the Court
The physical gains line up with what we've seen from Walter on the floor this season.
Coming into the Clippers game, the Baylor product had scored in double figures in four straight contests, including a season-high 21 points on 6-of-8 three-point shooting in Monday's blowout win over the Jazz.
That four-game stretch saw him average 16.5 points while shooting 75 percent from deep, which is absurd even in a small sample.
On the season, Walter is averaging 7.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, mostly off the bench.
Those numbers won't jump off the page, but the flashes of scoring punch and defensive energy have been hard to ignore.
Toronto exercised its team option on Walter for 2026-27 back in October, and given how he's been trending, that looks like a no-brainer.
A Rough Night in Inglewood
Wednesday's game itself was a tough one for the Raptors. The Clippers got out fast behind Brook Lopez's 11 first-quarter points and never really looked back, building a 22-point lead before halftime.
Kawhi Leonard finished with 27 points, Darius Garland added 24, and Bennedict Mathurin chipped in 23 off the bench as Los Angeles cruised to its third straight win.
The loss dropped Toronto to 40-32 on the season, sliding them into sixth in the Eastern Conference with a three-game losing streak, while the Clippers improved to 37-36 and held onto the eighth spot in the West.
Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 18 points, and Sandro Mamukelashvili added 13, but the team's offense never got going the way it needed to against a locked-in Clippers defense.
Still, for Walter and the Raptors' long-term outlook, Rajakovic's comments pregame carry more weight than any single loss.
The organization has consistently identified Walter as part of its core going forward, and his ability to add strength while contributing meaningful minutes only reinforces that belief.
The summer ahead could be a big one for his development.