Colorado Basketball: Return of Dallas Walton will bolster Buffs frontcourt

Colorado Basketball received some pretty devastating news prior to their 2018-19′ campaign. A key part of their returning rotation, sophomore center Dallas Walton, suffered a torn right ACL in a team practice on Oct. 16, leaving the Buffs without their seven-foot post presence.

This isn’t something new to Dallas Walton. The Colorado Basketball center has dealt with this injury in the past; twice to be exact, both regarding his left knee during his high school years.

Walton was apart of Tad Boyle‘s 2016 recruiting class which featured forward Lucas Siewert and guard Deleon Brown. Walton went on to redshirt the 2016-17′ season, using it as a transition period to rehabilitate and get stronger. Walton would emerge in his redshirt freshman year, filling the void for forward Tory Stewart-Miller who broke his foot, costing him the rest of his season.

Walton went on to average 5.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 30 games played. Not to mention, it looked as if he was developing a three-point shot as well. Granted it was a small sample size, Walton shot 5-of-13 from beyond the arc.

There were a couple of games that Walton really stood out, including his performances against Iowa, Washington, and Washington St. But there is one game that really caught my eye; January 6 upset over Arizona. Walton went toe-to-toe against then number one overall pick and Pac-12 Player of the Year DeAndre Ayton, tallying 15 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting in 25 minutes.

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Colorado is a team that is focused on the defensive side of the ball and it shows. In the 2018-19′ season, the Buffs allowed the third fewest points in the Pac-12 (67.5) and were second best in terms of limiting the three ball (31.8%). As far as Walton goes, there’s another dynamic he can add to the team to improve their defense — blocked shots. The Buffaloes ranked ninth in the Pac-12 with 3.0 blocks per contest and this is where Walton’s height and presence in the paint can improve that statistic.

Which brings me to my next point. Colorado already has proven post players such as Tyler Bey and Evan Battey, who had phenomenal years for the Buffs might I add. The one thing Walton can provide this team is depth. There were numerous games where Colorado was either undersized or simply in foul trouble. Having another post presence to spot players such as Bey and Battey when they pick up foul number three or four is crucial.

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Pending health obviously, Walton is a player to look out for in the 2019-20′ season for the Colorado Buffaloes. If it all comes together for him, he can play a key role along with McKinley Wright IV, D’Shawn Schwartz, Tyler Bey, and Evan Battey in getting this team back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.

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