Jabari Walker couldn’t make his NBA homecoming in Portland, but is optimistic his contract will be ‘figured out’ soon

PORTLAND, Ore. — As Jabari Walker worked his way around the three-point arc during Monday’s pregame warmup, a member of the Trail Blazers’ cheer team exclaimed, “Jabari’s back!”

Yes and no.

Walker, the 76ers reserve forward who spent his first three seasons with the Trail Blazers, was unable to play in his former NBA home. He has exhausted the maximum 50 games for which he is allowed to be active for the Sixers while on a two-way contract, leaving him ineligible since Thursday’s loss at the Los Angeles Lakers.

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The Sixers could have used Walker in their 135-118 blowout loss in Portland, when starting wing Paul George was suspended, starting forward Dominick Barlow was a late scratch because of illness, and the team was in its final matchup of a grueling five-game Western Conference road trip. And though president of basketball operations Daryl Morey on Friday did not commit to converting Walker to a standard contract, Walker remains optimistic that such a deal will be “figured out” soon.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Walker told The Inquirer from his locker before the Sixers’ victory at the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. “It puts pressure on the organization or whoever is making the decision, which is all you can do as a player. …

“The energy from management is all positive, and it’s just a matter of time, it feels like.”

Sixers coach Nick Nurse also implied before Monday’s loss in Portland that he expects Walker to be converted “fairly soon … and [we will] get him back out there when all that stuff gets taken care of.”

Walker respectfully shrugged off periodic questions throughout the season about his dwindling NBA game days, as he is a rare two-way player who has consistently been in the Sixers’ rotation. Many players on this type of deal split time between the NBA and G League and/or regularly are inactive because they are less experienced and still developing.

Walker’s reality did not fully hit until he (and the Sixers) reached Game 50 last Tuesday at the Golden State Warriors. He received a phone call reminder that he was out of NBA eligibility but was assured of his value to the front office and “how important it is to try and keep me around,” he said.

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The Sixers have two open spots on their 15-man roster, after Jared McCain and Eric Gordon were traded at last week’s deadline and Barlow was converted from a two-way contract to a standard deal. Players who become available via the buyout market could impact the Sixers’ decision to convert Walker, Morey said last week.

“He’s been a tremendous next-man-up contributor, and we hope to have his services,” Morey said of Walker following the trade deadline. “But we do have to weigh optimal use of our scarce two roster spots and against the other opportunities, as well.

“So that will be written over time, whether or not we do that conversion.”

Walker has averaged 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.1 minutes this season. He brings what teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. on Monday described as “unmatched” energy as a rebounder and physical defender, with spotty success as a three-point shooter (27% on 1.4 attempts per game). And Walker is well-liked inside the locker room, with Oubre sharing that teammates have nicknamed him “Mr. Rah-Rah” because he is “the sweetest dude. He’s friends with everybody.”

“Pretty reliable,” Nurse said Monday of Walker. “At this point, we know who he is and what he’s done for us. So it’s a guy we can kind of count on to do the same things every night.”

Added Walker: “I haven’t overstepped my role. I’ve been impactful. It’s validating to know that you play a solid role on a winning team.”

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Walker has relished being immersed in the “completely different vibe” of a Sixers team vying for playoff positioning, with star teammates who he said have “an answer for every situation.” As the Sixers roster temporarily got healthier, however, Walker more often got squeezed out of the rotation.

Now, George still has 19 games remaining on his suspension after violating the NBA’s antidrug policy. His absence on Monday, plus Barlow’s illness and Walker’s ineligibility, thrust fellow two-way player MarJon Beauchamp into his first action as a Sixer.

Walker, though, is attempting to best maximize the time he is prohibited to play in NBA games. He has jumped into the five-on-five and three-on-three scrimmages with “low-minute” players on off days and can shoulder more strenuous weightlifting sessions. He is working on improving his lateral quickness on defense and becoming “more bouncy overall.” He also has focused on the fluidity of his three-point shot and “not overcomplicating it” while maintaining the confidence to launch when open.

And Walker has taken mental notes on where his presence could have been felt in the three games he has missed. Watching Thursday’s loss at the Lakers, when the Sixers surrendered a 14-point second-half lead, was rough because he believed his playing style could have slowed the Lakers’ momentum. Walker thinks the Sixers staff feels similarly, which he recognizes is better than those coaches concluding that he “really would not have helped” in such a game.

After Monday’s matchup between Walker’s current and former teams, he greeted Portland All-Star Deni Avdija with a quick dance move and then chatted with Jerami Grant near midcourt. A few minutes later, Walker was spotted catching up with a Trail Blazers staffer in the hallway outside the visitors’ locker room. Walker then continued to linger with Avdija near the Moda Center’s loading dock, from where the Sixers team buses eventually departed for the airport.

Perhaps all of those reconnections were enough to create a fulfilling NBA homecoming. But Walker could not boost the shorthanded Sixers on the floor Monday because he is still waiting for his contract to be converted.

“It’s ‘free Bari’ until he’s back with us,” Oubre said. “Can’t wait for him to suit up and get out there.”