3- He will not ever be the guy we hoped. If I could have voted 2.5 I would have. He can't shoot and a shooting guard who can't shoot has little value. We were led to believe he was a 3 level scorer, currently he's shooting below .333 from two of those three levels.
I'm at a 4. Before the season started, I was between a 6 or a 7. He showed plenty of promise the first two seasons but understandably was inconsistent due to his age. But he has clearly taken a step back this season and not kept pace statistically with the player comps I was hoping he would end up being similar to. I still think he may eventually become a serviceable player, but if he does it won't be in the next year or two I don't think (and probably not on the Rockets).
I would like to do this exact poll again in a month or so, just see which way the winds are blowing. I voted a 6, but was really a 5.5 rounded up.
Same I stood all last year. Kid is visibly kinda a p***y and you can see that a mile away and he looks like he couldn’t care less about winning I though he was suppose to jump out the building but settles for wimpy layups where he gets bumped to the floor or swatted
I voted 4. I’ve said it a lot, but he’s a make or miss player. When his shot isn’t falling he’s not providing much value elsewhere. And it’s not falling way too often.
I said he was likely a Jordan Clarkson or Kelly Oubre type of player early on. I think he will be at least that, and both those players are valuable, so I chose 7.
He’s putting in the effort for the finesse, the skill just isn’t there. He has the athleticism and physical tools to do it but so does half the league .
I voted 3 because he's a streaky player. Can't build your team around streaky scorers...he's turning into Jordan Clarkson
His athleticism is high level; everything else is surprisingly below expectations. At times he looks like he really doesn't know the game, never received basic coaching, and lacks basketball basics. I am really shocked that the Rockets scouts came up with recommending him as a high draft pick. Can he be molded into a "professional" basketball player? I have serious doubts.
I don't think he would've been drafted if Ime was here. We likely would've traded back because none of the Top 4 picks were worth drafting there. 4 unserious basketball players. The 2022 Draft is going to demolish the 2021 draft. All of the Top 4 are going to be incredible.
Has anyone seen past Star Players that was in Jalen’s position? I’ve never seen a Star players that turned around the negative narrative to a positive career in history of basketball. Jalen’s perspective around the league was never a positive to begin with after rookie season and only people that supported him was rockets fan but now we’re at the point even the fans are turning away from him and never seen a player turn his career around in these situation so far specially from top 3 draft pick.
This. Let's not bury Jalen yet. He has athleticism that he could use in various ways to have a strong impact on the court. His learning curve is just a bit low. I totally agree with your post, though.
That poll would certainly be very interesting. I wonder where the winds were blowing either when we are winning big or losing big. Please do it.
I think he's a late blooming future 25-30ppg efficient scorer who can start on a top 5 defense. The reason it's late blooming is simply because his pre NBA development experience is horrid (1 month of g league + high school) and his first two years in the NBA was as bad a development experience as you can design (Silas + KPJ + Stone). It's clearly set him back and he's only now understanding the importance of team defense and offensive responsibility. I think he will take a minor step up very soon but I would be 0% surprised if for the final month of this season Jalen is averaging 25ppg on good efficiency and the best defense you've ever seen him play.
He is a 4 - By your 3rd year you are either on your way, or you are just average. A great player by can go on to be even greater after year 3, but if you are just meh by year 3, you will likely be meh your whole career. There some late bloomer exceptions but they are rare. If Jalen turns out to be a great player I will be surprised. For right now, Jalen is a second unit guy until he does something to prove himself otherwise.
