I feel like right now he is looking like a 9-14th pick and that is going to be tough. You could get good to very good defenders at the end of the 1st round and Draymond was a second round pick was he not?
A star is a role to play/have The Dream was a two way elite superstar which was his role on the Rockets, some roles require more of a larger burden to carry which is why getting specialist role players around the star(or Super) is vital in reaching ship level status
What if we drafted Horry at #3? Robert Horry was an 11th pick that the fans didn't want and Rockets tried to (and did but voided, thanks Sean Elliott)trade early. If Bari at #3 goes on to become an Horry level championship role player(for us) worthy of a late lottery pick, i wouldn't call it a bust. Hell, the '22 draft might end up similar to the 92 draft with the 2 best players going #1 and #2 like Shaq and Zo and the rest end up solid players with long careers. In that case it makes it easier to say the Horry pick at #3 wasn't a bust even if the other Jim Jackson, Leattner, Lephonso Ellis, Googs, Walt Williams, Weatherspoon, Doug Christie, Spree, Tracy Murray etc etc all have nice solid careers with better peak seasons than Horry. Wemby is the guy that changes everything. He makes you completely forget the civil war for Mobley over Green or missing the #1 spot for Cade or the Paolo, Chet picks. He makes it so much easier for Bari to NOT be seen as a bust. Scoot's the real deal and helps Bari's game too. Of course, he's not a bust as of now. He can play like this the rest of the season and i still won't call him a bust. He can have a mediocre to even bad sophomore season as many do and i still won't call him a bust. By year 3 is when i want to see upward projection of his game and stats. If we don't get the franchise altering Wemby or Scoot, then both Bari and Green are debatably busts if we continue to slum it up for years to come. Other factors at play though-coach, kpj pg project, role players etc.
I don't care that he's an elite player, but look at him try to make lay-ups and putbacks - it's as bad as watching KPJ try to facilitate. All those people questioning his at-the-rim % in college - I dismissed them, figured small sample size, etc - but he has validated them. He is just not good at finishing. 3 point shooting may develop over time, variance etc.....but a guy who can't make layups at 6-11 in college or NBA - I don't know what the trajectory of that is. Even Garuba is a much better finisher, and he is small and slow for an NBA big man.
Very good but you could say the same about guys like RJ Barrett or DeAndre Hunter, Victor is going to get them going and let them look good. We won't know for sure how much Silas was the one holding him back until Silas is gone. You won't see Horry acting out against Jalen Green..... I never called him a bust but he is disappointing for sure. It poses a good question 'When is it legit to massively criticize him for his game?'
Those are valid concerns. I would say he seems like the kind of person that will never stop trying to get better. Not every player is like that either. Some stop improving. Some players even regress. It’s going to be an interesting few years to see what Jabari does.
I hope you are correct - i never doubted Green in part because he is genuinely fun to watch on the court if only in flashes during his slump last season, also he has hyper elite athleticism that made it foolish to "Corey Brewer" him. Sadly - and i am genuinely disappointed - i haven't seen anything like that out of Smith Jr in the regular season yet, hopefully he looks more like he did in preseason particularly with his shooting in spots
Smith and Green’s career’s should not depend on Wemby or anyone else. They are their own person and they define their own careers with their own performance on the court. Individual play or performance should still be recognized. Green hasn’t been a bust considering his rare ability to get through openings or separate from defenders. Smith hasn’t either with his great rebounding and defense. Busts would mean the player doesn’t produce at a consistent high level on the court like Marvin Bagley or Josh Jackson or Jahil Okafor. Smith just can’t shoot right now but his defense hustle and rebounding is at a high level. We should temper expectations and players don’t turn out the way we want in our minds but doesn’t mean they aren’t good players. Mobley isn’t a great or elite scorer but he plays good enough offense and great defense. Do we regard him as a bust? Smith can be similar if he gets his 3 pt shot down and polish up on his post moves.
Rockets Future is depending on 1.Jalen Green 2.The 2023 First Round Draft Pick 3. The emergence of Tari Eason 4. Jabari Smith 5. Sengun as a back up - is not a two way player.
Would you trade Jabari straight up for any of the 9-14 picks? I wouldnt trade him for Mathurin right now.
Jabari is certainly going to outlast Silas’ time in Houston. The stories of his dominance in workouts before the season started were not fabrications. It’s way too early to determine what his trajectory will be just yet. Remember where we were with Jalen Green in January 2022?
Why don't we just wait for the Pacer game. It doesn't matter with Silas, I think Mathurin is right there where he should belong with one of the best PGs of the future that is Haliburton. Even if I root for the Rockets, I can't condone a mediocre situation for player development with a straight face.
Mathurin looked to be a higher draft pick than 6th.... As of now, looks better than Keegan and Ivey. I don't give up on players easily but would want to empty the starting spot.
The people who are saying that Jabari will be just fine are guessing as much as those that claim he is a bust already. After sub 20 games, no idea how you can make a clear judgement either way.
I am pleased with Jabari’s progression the last few games. You can see his confidence growing. His defense and rebounding is really starting to show. We don’t know but signs are positive in my opinion
