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Is Florida commit Chris Walker really ‘a sick mix of Kevin Garnett and Perry Jones III’?

Chris Walker 2

Let’s make a quick list of the things 2013 Florida commit Chris Walker has going for him:

1) Size and athleticism

At 6-10, Walker is long, lanky, and athletic player who can block shots and run the floor. Need proof? Check out this video.

2) The sidekick

Walker, in choosing Florida, pairs up with the teammate he has played with on the AAU circuit with the Florida Rams, Kasey Hill. Hill, one of the best point guards in the Class of 2013, has the chemistry with Walker to make for a high-level inside-outside combination in the SEC.

3) Sky-high self-confidence

This is the attribute that the general public is getting a taste of as he moves from the more isolated high school scene and prepares for college. Take a look below:

Chris Walker committed to Florida this July via a video online, along the way promising that the Gators would win a national championship. Is it far-fetched? No, considering the talent that will be coming to Gainesville to play for Billy Donovan, but rather forward, certainly.

Then came the article published in the Gainesville Sun where he, among other things, made it known that he is considering being a one-and-done, outlined his skills, and passed along the things, he says, scouts are saying about him.

“NBA draft people have said I’m like a sick mix of Kevin Garnett and Perry Jones III,” Walker told the paper.

“I can shoot 3s now,” Walker went on to say. “I can finesse you. I can dunk on you. I can guard anything, and I’m rebounding better. When I block shots I catch the ball. I can post you up with my back to the basket and hit you with a post move. Or I can face you up and use my quickness to blow by you.”

He continues.

“Me now, I’m a high motor for my team. I can lead a team now. With my skill set, I can play outside or inside, I can post up. I can defend and guard (all five positions), and that’s because of the athleticism I have.”

Is there anything, in his own mind, he can’t do? But where did all that confidence come from?

“I really built up my confidence two months ago,” he said. “That was my first look at how good I can really be.”

“Coach (Donovan) said where my skill level is, if that’s what I want I should go for it,” Walker told the paper.

If it turns out that he can do all the things he claims at the college level, there’s no doubt he will be. If.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_