After years of waiting, Jaykwon Walton ready to fulfill potential at Wichita State

It’s been more than three years since Jaykwon Walton has been able to play a full season of basketball.

Injuries derailed his time at Georgia, where he signed out of high school as a top-100 recruit in the 2019 class. He planned to transfer to Mississippi State last season, but then the head coach was fired and Walton instead spent half a season at Shelton State, a community college in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

He’s waited a long time to return to the spotlight and fulfill the promise of his tantalizing talent, a mission he hopes to achieve on the Wichita State men’s basketball team this season.

“It was very frustrating and depressing and it took me a couple years to get over it, but I never gave up,” Walton said. “Now I’m healthy again and I’m glad to be back on this stage and I’m ready to show the world what I can do.”

WSU coach Isaac Brown was ecstatic to be able to add someone with the upside of Walton late in his 2022 recruiting class.

And once Walton showed up on campus this summer, it didn’t take long for the WSU coaches to see his potential.

“From a talent standpoint, I can definitely see why he was a four-star, top-100 recruit in the country,” Brown said.

The scouting report on Jaykwon Walton

Walton is one of the taller players on WSU’s roster at 6-foot-7, but he plays the game like a point guard. That skillset is what those in the program believe will make him a mismatch in the American Athletic Conference.

“It’s almost like having Craig Porter with the ball in his hands,” Brown said. “And what I love about his game is that he affects the game without scoring with the passes he makes, the defense he’s playing and the rebounds he’s getting. And when he gets the ball in his hands in transition, you know he’s going to make the right play. He just has a very high basketball IQ.”

His teammates have raved about his passing ability, whether it’s making a flashy assist or simply making the extra pass to upgrade a good shot to a great one.

“He’s a guy that plays the game the right way,” WSU sophomore guard Xavier Bell said. “He never forces anything. He’s always making the right reads. Honestly, I would say the sky is the limit with him.”

Walton has also shown signs of being a devastating force in transition, which has been sorely needed at WSU in recent seasons. When he pushes the ball, Walton has the athleticism, height and length to finish with authority at the rim. But what makes him stand out is his keen sense for reading defenses and knowing when and where to deliver passes to teammates.

“I love to make my teammates better,” Walton said.

A former Shocker who plays similar to Walton

In a halfcourt setting, Walton has impressed coaches with his explosiveness on the ball.

He’s routinely able to create off the dribble by breaking down the on-ball defender and attacking the paint, which is creating high-percentage scoring chances. He’s a capable catch-and-shoot threat along the three-point line and Walton has begun to show the knack for sneaky, back-door cuts for easy baskets from passes from Porter, whom he has developed chemistry with quickly.

In fact, with Walton’s frame, athleticism and penchant for defense, Porter said he reminds him of a former teammate.

“He’s very similar to Dexter (Dennis) in my eyes,” Porter said. “He’s a good shooter, a good defender. (Walton) probably dribbles a little more, but the defense is similar. Their games match each other well and he knows how to play his role and he’s willing to make the extra pass. Me and him have a lot of similar traits, so I’m excited to play with him.”

It’s not hard to imagine Walton being an X-Factor for the Shockers’ success this season. If WSU is to surprise outsiders, Walton reaching his potential as a mismatch nightmare for defenses and filling up the stat sheet at small forward would be a good start.

But he knows before any of that can happen, Walton has to earn his playing time with his defense.

“It’s all about stops,” Walton said. “I want to get stops every time. I take pride in my defense. I mean, who wants to be scored on? I definitely don’t. So I take a lot of pride with how I guard and I want to help my teammates out on the floor.”