Scouts have compared him to Rashard Lewis offensively. I think that Smith will be a better offensive player than Lewis, but it is scary hearing that as a comparison. Earlier in the season there were comparisons to Paul George. Smith is ultimately a pretty safe choice... he will be an above average defender, can play multiple positions... will fall into some rebounds at his size and shoot well off passes.... the problem is that if he doesn't develop a handle, he won't long term be the best player in this class.
These numbers don't paint the full picture obviously and SOS/roles have been different but I thought these heat maps were cool. Jabari... I don't care if you don't have a handle but you have got to finish better at the rim. Lost splash bro. Paolo... DeRozan must be his favorite player. Chet... Where Morey/D'antoni at... If only they were at the corners. upload pictures to internet
He is a top 4 pick in this draft. He is going to score really well in the NBA. The issue is that his upside isn't fantastically high.
Jabari shooting form is pure and ability to shoot is elite, especially from deep. 6'10 version of Klay Thompson/Ray Allen.
This is actually great news for Rockets. I wouldn't mind if Duke wins it all and Banchero gets ranked #1.
And he's gotten good at 3's, so I applaud him for that. At 6'10", I wouldn't think you would not need to practice as much on putbacks and 3 footers. That should be more natural. That's the part that's worrisome.
That comment was a failed attempt at humor. Curry recently sent out a PSA ask people to stop blaming him for the amount of 3s people are taking "I never told anyone to take that shot" Jabari very rarely attacks the rim. Probably combination of his strong shooting pulls him outside and his handle is so weak he lacks any confidence in it. College is a lot more packed than the NBA. He draw a decent amount of fouls which is a good thing. We could see a huge improvement with NBA spacing opening up driving lanes straight to the hoop.
Bill Simmons is on the anti Wood and anti KPJ bandwagon. He said he fears any of the top guys coming here because they are toxic. It’s wild how he actually is watching or paying attention to this **** show
There is risk with every prospect. As for Ivey, he has consistently improved as a playmaker.... even though he is on a team that isn't great for playmakers, had terrible spacing and limited opportunities to create. Ivey is also several years younger than Porter and actually works hard. I don't think Ivey is ever going to be an amazing point guard, but he can be a combo guard in the same way that Dwayne Wade was and Curry is. The biggest issue with Porter isn't that he isn't a natural point guard, it is that he is not a very good basketball player when it comes to helping his team win. Also, the Rockets with Green and Ivey would be able to run a lot of 3 guard line ups with Ivey able to defend 1-3 fairly easily with a 7'0" wingspan. It can work in a lot of different ways.... I would be more concerned if the league was how it was 30 years ago. Also keep in mind the league that Ivey is playing in.......... the Big X leader in assists only averages 5 assists a game. Per 100 possessions Ivey is averaging 34/9/6/2/2
You can't go wrong with pairing JG with Ivey, if you can't get Chet/Jabari. Having that combo as your backcourt would be something worth seeing in the modern era.
Neither player is selfish and Ivey has shown improvement on a team with zero spacing. I understand people asking the question but I have no concern.
