Why the Sixers Just Benched Jabari Walker—and How the Move Could Spark a Breakout Season Latest reports confirm Walker will come off the bench for Philadelphia

Philadelphia 76ers forward Jabari Walker is rapidly transforming from a fringe roster gamble into one of the NBA’s most talked-about value plays this fall. Signed to a two-way deal worth just $636,434 for the 2025-26 season, the 23-year-old has already cracked Nick Nurse’s rotation, logging three surprise starts and averaging 14.0 minutes, 3.7 points and 3.3 rebounds on 41.7 percent shooting in the opening fortnight of the campaign. Those modest box-score lines barely hint at Walker’s emerging importance. The 6-foot-7 Colorado product has guarded four positions, spaced the floor just enough to keep defenses honest and—most critically for Philadelphia—filled emergency minutes at small-ball center whenever Joel Embiid sits. Analytics site NBA Two-Way Talents already ranks the 76ers’ two-way corps second league-wide, citing Walker’s switchability as the primary driver of that surge. Financially, the arrangement borders on absurd. Walker earns less than 20 percent of a typical veteran minimum deal, yet he has posted a positive net rating in every appearance to date. According to league salary tracking, his contract guarantees only $85,300 if Philadelphia were to cut ties, meaning each productive minute further tilts the cost-benefit scale in the Sixers’ favor. The backdrop makes Portland’s offseason decision not to tender a qualifying offer look increasingly questionable. Walker’s final year with the Trail Blazers showcased flashes—six perfect threes in one game, 11 double-doubles and a 22-rebound night—yet the rebuilding Blazers prioritized roster spots for summer arrivals. Philadelphia pounced, and early returns suggest Walker could force the front office to convert his deal to a standard contract well before the 50-game two-way limit arrives. What changed in seven months? First, Walker added 12 pounds of functional strength, allowing him to bang with bigger forwards without sacrificing his trademark motor. Second, Nurse’s motion offense rewards cutters; per Second Spectrum tracking, Walker ranks in the 92nd percentile league-wide for points per possession on baseline dives. Finally, the 76ers’ depth chart craves exactly his brand of low-usage defense alongside a star-heavy core of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the newly re-signed Tobias Harris. Opponents have started to notice. After Walker posted a team-best plus-11 in a statement win over Orlando, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley credited the “energy guy in the headband who turned every 50-50 ball into a Sixers run-out.” Internally, sources indicate Philadelphia is exploring a mid-December roster shuffle that would secure Walker’s Bird rights before free-agency interest grows. Long term, the former second-round pick projects as a modern combo forward in the Herb Jones mold: switch, rebound, hit corner triples and never demand touches. Short term, his emergence gives the 76ers inexpensive insurance against the wear-and-tear that has stalked recent playoff runs. Key takeaway for fantasy GMs and front-office watchers alike: monitor Walker’s minutes, not his points. If Nurse keeps trusting him in closing lineups—he’s already finished two games—Philadelphia may soon own the league’s best bargain and its next cult-favorite role player, all for less than the cost of a veteran-minimum locker-room presence.