i can definitely see Jabari falling because in my head I have concerns too. His ceiling seems the lowest of the 3, offensively. It’s easy to comp him to JJJ - who is “ok”. His 3 pt shot never materialized quite the way one thought and he rebounds relatively poorly. Conversely he’s so solid defensively. i would be disappointed if we picked Jabari and he turned into a JJJ. otoh I think he can be more than that… and at 3 that concern is lessened vs at 1 where you feel like you REALLY need super high ceiling players (though perhaps why some 1 picks that aren’t obvious bust at times). guess I’m happy with any of them!
i think the concern is the fit with Sengun and the fact that he won’t help our defense, which was last in the league. But honestly he’s probably the best player available where we are picking, and as good as Sengun is, you can’t worry about fit this early in a rebuild. personally I’m super excited to get Paolo or Jabari!!!! Any fan who is disappointed right now was delusional about our chances to pick higher; we are very lucky. Paolo can be an All Star one day, and an elite 2nd option to Jalen Green.
I personally think Sengun is better than Paolo. But I take solace in the fact that both are smart basketball players and both unselfish. We will see what happens
He’s a 5-6 athletically. But coordination is really good. Very similar to Sengun. Average to above average leapers. Banchero is a little faster. Both average laterally but can react decent. Hands are probably in favor of Sengun. Bottom line is Paolo isn’t elite athletically but not below average anywhere either
This. So much this. He was the guy everyone wanted before the NCAA season, and then all he did was go out and average 17/8/3/1/1 as a freshman on a team that went to the Final Four and played damn well in the tournament. I love Sengun, but if we went back a calendar year and said "You can have Sengun in this draft or Banchero in the next draft," I'm guessing that 100% of CF posters would take Banchero. And there's always a possibility that they do fit. If you get the right mix of defenders and shooters around those guys and one or both of them can develop a reliable 3-point shot, it's not outside the realm of possibility. If they don't? Maybe Sengun becomes a super sub off the bench, or whichever guy doesn't make it ends up getting dealt for picks and prospects in a few years. Bottom line, if Banchero is the guy, it's because he's the best player available and gives them the best chance to develop a contender down the line. Everyone is already freaking out over a player they haven't even drafted yet in a draft that didn't have a slam dunk, flawless No. 1 pick in the first place. Be glad we got a top 3 pick and get to take one of these bigs; it was a damn good night to be a Rockets fan.
First Mock of 2022 Lottery Picks Orlando: Chet Holmgren OKC: Paolo Banchero Houston: Jabari Smith Sacramento: Shaedon Sharpe Detroit: Jaden Ivey Indiana: Keegan Murray Portland: Jalen Duren New Orleans: Tari Eason San Antonio: Jeremy Sochan OKC: Blake Wesley Washington: TyTy Washington New York: Mark Williams Charlotte: Dyson Daniels Cleveland: Malaki Branham
Also, anyone else complaining about having to draft third, consider that there was a 60+ percent chance they would have drafted fourth or fifth. Getting a top 3 pick was an unlikely outcome statistically. This was a huge win for the franchise.
1st pick : 14-1-13-6 (Orlando) 2nd pick : 2-7-14-9 (OKC) 3rd pick : 1-12-6-3 (Houston) 4th pick : 2-10-1-12 (Houston again - redraw) 4th pick : 4-7-9-10 (Sacramento)
Now our front office could sleep until the draft. There is no choice to be made. Draft the leftover of the top 3. Drafts a bust, didn't get your choice. Not the team's fault. Draft a stud, look like a genius.
