He will fit just fine IMO. And he has played decently so do not understand the rant. He is not trying to force shots and got everyone involved in playing a team game. That is a great thing to have when the focus will be all Green offensively in the season. With Green, Sengun, and KPJ who are better passers than the current summer league squad, Jabari will get ample open 3s and mid-range shots where he thrives. Defensively he did fine as well grabbing 9 rebs and 4 steals. So seriously what is all the fuss about with this post?!
Showing up is half the battle. And Davis is just never there. Talent wise sure he's got all the tools, but results wise it's not close. Davis has a finals cuz he played with Lebron. Dame with Lebron would be a nightmare for the league.
I agree he can be an elite shooter in this league. Dominant or prolific scorer to me means the mold of players that can get their own buckets without an assist or make plays on their own through their offense drawing in defenses. This is the kind of player I’m specifically talking about, which most if not all the stars in this league are. Smith isn’t that kind of player that can break a man down collapsing defenses or dominant on the post. He doesn’t handle well, doesn’t run full court, and mot a bug playmaker. That’s not his game. But yes I agree he can be effective shooting and cutting and being at the right spots. I understand he can be effective in other ways and score but he isn’t a dominant scorer in this definition especially relative to the great scorers in this league. I always said he could be Klay Thompson if he plays his game, in control, and within the team. Thompson has better handles though. But would you say Klay Thompson was a dominant scorer in his prime? Great shooter but dominant scorer? Its an interesting debate nonetheless. And i see your point.
Yeah Jabari is good and has winning habits much like Tate when we talk about guys that make winning plays and does things to win. I think that’s why Stone drafted him rather than expecting him to be a great scorer. Definitely not Christian Wood who was deemed unprofessional immature and lacked effort by scouts and teams leading to the draft
What's up with the knee-jerk reactions CF? Why are we basing a player's ENTIRE CAREER, based off of 2 summer league games again? You guys are so use to the flashy crossovers and high flying dunks and hitting crazy three point shots from 40 feet away. Anything other than those things you people are so quick to write a guy off and label him a bust in albeit 2 summer league games. Every championship contending team NEEDS a guy like Jabari Smith. A guy that puts his hard hat on and brings his lunchbox to work EVERYDAY. So what if Jabari Smith never becomes the "guy" and is just a third option. Chris Bosh, Kevin Love, Draymond Green type players are invaluable. Stop looking at Banchero and Murray, and trying to compare them to Smith. If you did ANY research on these players you would have known that Paolo and Keegan were both more NBA ready than Jabari is at the moment. Talent and athleticism is great, but most of all you need guys that can run a system. Just ask Steve Kerr and the GSW if you don't believe me. Jabari is much more versatile than Paolo. Rockets got lucky with Jabari Smith....
We still gotta wait and see what Murray does. We can’t act like he’s all that after a few summer league games. He’s also 3 years older than Jabari
Easy to lose sight of how young these players are. See the improvement Jalen Green made over the course of his rookie season. Smith has the right tools to be a very good player in the coming years. We just need to be patient.
Jabari is going to do fine for who is and what he brings to the table. A 6'10 3-and-D guy. Elite defense and intangibles, but not much of a give him the ball and get out of the way guy. I think the issue that many have, myself included, is that at pick number 3 you want to draft a guy with superstar potential. Jabari appears to be a 3/4th guy on a championship team at best.
How does it lower his floor and ceiling? You say you arent dismissing his defense and his jumpshooting so how is his ceiling and floor lowered? You also havent answered how come Chet's handles didnt help his floor and ceiling this game since he got outplayed by Jabari. So Chet can get outplayed even with his amazing handles for a big man but Jabari wont become a superstar unless he develops his handles? Thats some pretty inconsistent logic you got there. If handles are so critical then Chet should be running circles around everyone instead he got destroyed by Kevin Lofton Jr and then outplayed by Jabari.
A 6'10 3 and D guy with elite defense and intangibles aint gonna be the 3rd dude unless you got Lebron/Giannis/Luka etc to pair with Jalen and even then it aint bad. Ever heard of the concept of a big 3?
Anybody who watched that game last night could see Jabari's massive impact on the floor. If you just looked at his shooting and scoring numbers through two games, you might worry, but he's not a player whose worth will be derived solely from his points per game. He locked down Chet and was everywhere defensively all game long. He made hustle plays and showed up big late in the fourth when it mattered most. This guy is the missing cog in the Rockets rebuild. And if Banchero goes on to average 25 a game, but Smith never does, who cares? Smith is going to help the Rockets win games, and that will matter so much more. Way to overreact, OP. Couldn't even wait for a second Summer League game for this awful thread.
I already said that Chet needs to work on his stamina a lot and also bulk up, never said he'd be consistently great from day1. Because in my opinion the floor is lower for a player that only has one weapon on offense and when I can't remember a single player that came out of college with bad handles (and let's not act like Jabari's handles are fine just because of two drives, he showed extreme deficiencies in college and same in summer league when bringing up the ball or trying to create separation several times) and a severe lack of offensive repertoire and improve that extremely out of nowhere. Ppl bring up KD, Aldridge or Klay, but these guys had much better handles and offensive toolbags than Jabari coming out college. Ya mock people for overreacting because of summer league (when many ppl like me actually base it on watching a ton of their NCAA full game tapes), but you just literally tried to comment on someone's floor&ceiling because of a single game?
Oh lord..Ok..yes i can see or understand how his bad shooting can discourage you but we KNOW he can shoot.He has to find himself and his spots with a new team he hasnt even played with!Just wait till he gets on the floor with Green,kpj and Alpy..He will get comfortable and prove to everyone he is special.Just look at him..the kid and rise and get a shot off anytime he has to get used to all this clearly first.Not everyone can come in and be Paolo.Different type of player.I agree that seeing him still be a big factor in the game without makin shots is huge!Smh...just wait..youll be eating your words.
Who would you have liked us to take at #3 as opposed to Jabari? There really weren't many generational players in this draft bro. Even Chet who was taken a pick before Jabari probably won't become a superstar. I'm still not convinced that Ivey, Murray, or even Sharpe will become superstars either. And although Paolo has looked very good, I need to see him play at this level against REAL NBA talent. You guys are acting as if players like Jordan, Hakeem, Kobe, LeBron, KD, Curry, Giannis get drafted every year. Those are once in a lifetime players. Most top 10 draft picks are really good, but how many of those guys ever become all-stars let alone superstars?
Even if paolo ends up the best player in the class, that’s ok. We never had a shot at him and it just feels like he was taken away at the last moment because of all the pre draft talk. But that’s just a feeling and not reality. But that said, it’s still super early. Anything can happen. And even if he’s not the best player in the draft, he doesn’t need to be for us to win rings.
After 2 summer league games, some so quick to judge? Whats the hurry? For me, Its going to be the all-star break of 2023 at least before I even begin to judge any player taken in this draft.
Also a reminder that Paolo has shot really poorly and has turned the ball over A TON. He's been to the line more so it's pumped his numbers up. Bad efficiency and doesn't create a ton of space despite his handles. Have a bit of perspective.
Im simply going off scouting reports and videos ive seen of murray and the summer league games further support it. He has skills smith doesn’t have. Its not made up or fabricated. He can handle the ball coast to coast like banchero. He has handles and can dribble drive on a defender from the perimeter. He can shoot the 3. Post from low block. Attack at elbows. Age doesn’t have anything to do with players having a certain skillset and ability. Smith is who he is. A good reliable player. But again what are our expectations of him? Nonetheless an interesting decision by Stone.
I like how he competes and works, guys that do that have a much higher ceiling - Robert Horry never worked on his game, he never worked on his handle, he even talks about how much better he could have been if he were dedicated to it..... Jabari is that guy that is dedicated, he is already Horry like, he will only get a lot better from here. DD
