"Didn't sign any bigs to get in his way." Oh but they've tried. And it's like outside forces keep swatting away. Lob threat! A small injury sends him back to the bench and now in exile. Pray for Wemby! Outside forces: "How about an Amen first?" Brook Lopez take my cash! Outside forces: "Have you ever been left at the altar? Let's make it dramatic. No Brook for you" The universe is trying to tell the front office something. Oddly enough, they're now in a situation where they can showcase Jalen and Alpi's talent. See where it goes. Jabari should take over the 5 when Alpi is winded with Lockdale getting around 10 minutes.
Thanks my guy (and @AroundTheWorld ).... my username on socials has changed over the last 5 years to jumangeez. My first/last initial are JZ... but obviously there are plenty of JayZ's out there way more famous lol. Plus i really like every Jumanji movie (Robin Williams ofc, but the new ones are great... have kids, have seen many times). Plus, its like "GEEZ!!" wtf is up with some of these takes?!?!?! Hence... jumangeez... actual in a discord room i frequent a lot they've kind of shortened it to ju-man ... which is ironic cause im jewish by birth (non practicing... well, tmi, but atheist now)... ANYWAY.... I am happy to change my username here from JayZ750 to jumangeez or jumangeez (fka JayZ750) if @Clutch lets me. Related, but Rocketswatch combined with Rocketstwitter in general has really drastically cut my time on the bbs... plus being older and just constantly busy. Unfortunate, but is what it is.... just passed i think my 22 year anniversary join date a few months back (EDIT: 23 years!!! geez im old!), which means ive been on here longer than most of Rocketstwitter has been alive anyway!! Lol, probably not quite but certainly feels like it at times. Literally having been alive to watch MJ in person to them is analogous to me to the old folks when i was growing up yapping about Wilt, Russell, Oscar and Kareem... To be relevant to this thread... i have no qualms with MAJOR concerns on Alpi's defense and defensive potential. But there are plenty of stats and data out there that support a path to having a top 10 defensive team with Alpi starting at center. That we LITERALLY have the blueprint happening right now that has just won a championship makes it super simple... check Jokic's defensive rim protection metrics and the Nuggets DRtg... they were 25th his 3rd year, then jumped to 10th his 4th year which i attribute to a combination of tweaks to scheme (drop lol... no) and Jokic just getting smarter. But I admit it might not happen... Alpi's defense could be a fatal flaw for him. But WITHOUT question... like its not even a subjective opinion, its objective based on HEAPS and HEAPS of data, and "objective" eye test...its not REMOTELY the teams biggest question mark nor what we should be focused on. I mentioned this specifically on Rocketswatch yesterday, but you can be DAMN SURE Jalen sees these rookie contract extension bags that are being handed out and is going to want his version next year. Jalen, who has unquestionably been a net negative on the team to date. Great POTENTIAL still. SHOULD turn it around this year. COULD still be the best player from his draft class. But we have ZERO clue as to what level of extension he should get next offseason. And Bari has just NOT been an nba player. He was supposed to be great at shooting and defense and bad at driving/creating, and he was bad at driving/creating, but it actually might have been the thing he was best at last year, which tells you how bad he was at shooting and defense. I still have TONS of hope for him, too... I'm just not out here on twitter or Rocketswatch being all like "HELL YEAH, now we can have MONSTER defensive lineups!!!" and using Bari as part of those lineups. This is a prove-it league. And it's sad for Bari specifically. Because he ABSOLUTELY, NO QUESTION should have been coming off the bench for 20-25 (max) mpg last year (i'd have liked to see 22.5 basically). James Harden played 22.9 mpg his first year and didn't hit 31 mpg (what Bari played last year) until his 3rd season and ofc through his first 3 season started a grand total of 7 games. Jaylen Brown played 17mpg his first year, and though he started every game his second year, in the third year he took a step back and only started 25, playing 26mpg. More damning is that this (1) was PROBABLY very clear early on. it was clear to us fans who saw him in summer league, and (2) there was an EXTREMELY viable replacement option in Tari, who basically was a POSITIVE impact player EVERY time he played. Again, I still think (hope more than think, but gun to head would bet it happens) Bari turns into a 18+ppg, 8 rpg player shooting 36%+ from three with very quality defense (and even potentially all nba defense). I think SO SO SO much of it, for him, will be about his body maturation... and to me, that's not a over the summer type thing. Notwithstanding body, if he can come into this year and hit high 30s from 3, then none of it matters, that is such an uber important skill set and for this team need, that if he does that, give him 36 mpg for all i care. If JG's continual body transformation and Ime and FVV/Brooks turn him into an efficient offensive and defensive player, and if Bari comes in scorching hot and not as bad on defense (and if we dont have to discuss KPJ, or why Tate is getting endless minutes, or why Dillon Brooks is shooting us out of games, etc.) and we still suck cause Alpi can't play defense for ****... then it's time to discuss Alpi. But for now... ALL of Rockettwitter should be laser focused on JG/Bari improvement, not "you wanted Sengun, you got Sengun, he better deliver!!" bullshit.
They're in California... he posted one the other day where it was clear they were in Santa Barabara... and yes, California coast is VERY nice... i was jealous just watching the vid/story... ofc doesn't help that its 100+ degrees here in Texas every day. Imma actually try and move to northern San Diego I think in the next few years...
It’s hilarious that fans of a 20 win team three years running are crying about rim protection and its impact on championship viability. This team is so far away from sniffing a championship that these questions are meaningless. And I get that due to Jokic’s size you can’t compare the two even on defense. But we just saw a team with the same level of rim protection as Sengun get the 3rd seed and they didn’t surround him with any defenders resulting in the 25th ranked defense. Going from 20 wins to the 3rd seed like the Kings would be a miraculous jump before we ever have to worry about rim protection. And then people act like you can’t put a floor stretching rim protector next to Sengun at PF like Myles Turner, Jaren Jackson, Chet, Prizingis, Jonathan Isaac(pre injury). Yes these guys are rare and you will probably require one eventually if you want to win a championship with Sengun, but that’s a problem way down the road. Like we don’t even know if Sengun or anyone else on the team is good enough to carry us to a chip yet to worry about roster construction around Sengun for championship contention, that’s putting the cart before the horse. Also you hit the nail on the head with Jabari, he is by far the biggest question mark going into this season. Sengun made a leap last year and as a 20 year old should continue that this year. Jalen who I have been skeptical on because who we passed up to get him and how bad he was his rookie year also made a decent jump last year from the stats I track, so I have faith he will also continue especially with a competent point guard. Not a knock on Jabari but he has just not shown the jump yet since it’s only been one year, he’s in the same boat as Jalen after year one and we have no idea how he will develop next year. He was such a young rookie so I am hopeful but we just don’t know what will happen so that’s the biggest question mark going into next season especially when this is our starting pf and a top pick, if he’s a bust then that’s a huge blow to what we have accumulated the last few years. As for shooting this is why I’m hopeful for next year. Fred vanvleet is a good 3 point shooter when it’s not the 40% of 3s that he had to create for himself the last few years. 40% catch and shoot and 42% from the corners his career. Dillon Brooks is a 41% corner 3 point shooter, he just takes bad shots. This is what Udoka is here for, to get players to play the way he wants, if he can’t do that then either he has failed or the signing was a fail- when taking the right shots Brooks is capable. The real question comes down to Jalen and Jabari’s shooting, and I don’t think that’s something worth worrying about because if these two can’t shoot then they are busts and if they are busts then no other moves we have made or will make will matter, we would have to completely start over because this is your entire haul for the tank. And I am very hopeful that they can shoot especially under an actual competent point guard.
Yep, that’s why I wanted him or Wemby. Woulda been nice, hopefully Jabari develops that 3&D he’s capable of
Meh, 3 ball will come around and looked like it already started to when Bari started slinging pull up 3s off transition as well as going to that midrange turnaround more. People don't just forget how to shoot after being elite at it in their professional careers up until that point.
It’s the rim protection aspect though. Jabari won’t provide that to that level bc he’s doesn’t have Chet’s length. Just wanting him last night, I was like damn man lol
The beauty of Chet is his ability to guard perimeter and rim at an elite level. Along with handles and 3 pt range
He’s gonna get cooked at times, especially early on. I don’t think he’ll be elite there, but just good enough to not be a liability. Jabari projects to be better there imo. Tall guys like Chet are gonna have some issues guarding guys like Kyrie or a Ja type
He’s got really good change of direction and recovery for a guy his length. His low side is elite 3&D player. Upside is something we haven’t seen before
Jabari has to get them handles up. Then he can be special. Chet’s handles are stupid for his size. Not as good as Wemby but Chet a better shooter and still has handles
