That statement literally makes no sense given Bari was a pretty good starter on our average team last season AT 20 YEARS OLD. Modern sports fans are so impatient. Only four players 21 and younger averaged 13 and 8 or better last season, and we have two of them. Comparing a 20 year old’s performance to a 30 yr old vet is the height of tomfoolery.
Bari could legally start drinking 3 months ago and we have posters in here implying that he’s reached his ceiling. Good Lord.
It’s not that the process is not frustrating sometimes. It certainly is. Some though may not be able to enjoy the improvement over time. I love watching these guys figure things out and see their ups and downs. They seemingly can enjoy the process themselves occasionally.
The problem with us fans is that we always try to get ahead of others in predicting....but in reality it has nothing to do with us if Bari hits his ceiling, expands his ceiling or not......it is pure luck, well, it is likelier to happen than me winning the jackpot in a lottery....that is for sure. And to answer all those happy go lucky campers, one human does not have enough space in his heart for all players on one team......the human mind or heart is not that heroic....... If you love everyone on the Rockets, chances are that one of your relatives or friends is not getting enough love/getting neglected.
Being the 5th or 6th or 7th best player on an average team when his so-called "Big 3" contemporaries from his draft class are making all star appearances and deep playoff runs is not the cookie you think it is.
He made that comment because the poster he was referencing said Smith's ceiling is the fifth best player on an average team. Perhaps try to keep up.
More like the 4th when Green was borderline unplayable and the 5th when Green was killing it. More broadly, it's perfectly possible (I guess 50/50) that I'm wrong in my assessments. Almost a year ago, I said that he'd never amount to being more than a spot minutes big due to his miniscule production and complete ineffectiveness as a rookie and in the first few games of the 2023-2024. Then he started rebounding like a boss and hitting his wide open shots at a better rate, so I was happy to eat crow because it helped the Rockets win. But there's a big difference between going from unplayable to acceptable vs going from acceptable to strong (for now, let's forget about elite) role player. Just to repeat myself, here are just a few of his deficiencies - he doesn't make good passes, he doesn't set even good screens, he doesn't cut or move off the ball effectively, he plays below the rim, his dribbling is limited to short, unguarded drives, he isn't able to operate offensively around screens, and his offense is entirely standstill face up jumpers that depend on being wide open. Not all of these deficiencies will be resolved via experience and coaching - in fact, my sense is that many of these aspects of his game (especially those dependent on explosiveness and coordination) will remain deficiencies for the rest of his career. That's why I initially said that we've seen everything Jabari has to offer - not because he is already at his "peak" (and let me be clear, I don't think he's at his peak) but because he hasn't shown glimpses of additional talents/skills/abilities/what-have-you to develop. And finally, just to repeat myself again, Jabari didn't come in as an ultra raw prospect with only 2-3 years of organized basketball experience (ala Giannis) - he came in as an ultra raw prospect who's been playing the game his whole life and with the benefit of a former pro as a father. There was a reason that both the teams that worked him out pre-2022 draft also passed on him (and in Orlando's case, passed on him for a guy they didn't even work out). I think they observed the same lack of growth potential that I have, and realized that Paolo and Chet were significantly better prospects (which they are). I'm sure my posts bum a lot of you out - he was the third pick of the 2022 draft and we all want to get a superstar out of a high pick. I've had high hopes and at times overly optimistic expectations for every draft pick myself, including some players that were utterly useless (go back 20 years and you'll find some posts where I was convinced Reese Gaines was the perfect big guard for this team). But what I ultimately look for in players is not how well they fit a prototype or how spectacular they are right out of the gate, but whether they show (in addition to their advertised strengths) signs of development potential. And unfortunately, I just don't see it with Jabari beyond improving his already advertised strengths (shooting, perimeter D and rebounding).
I'll be honest....your posts are a little odd because they go from absolutely on the nose and accurate to completely off the wall from sentence to sentence. Like a couple you pointed out there that are absolutely on the money: - he plays below the rim (yep) - he isn't able to operate offensively around screens (yet) - he doesn't set even good screens (yet) - he doesn't make good passes (yet) I would say his most glaring weakness and the one that I worry about the most is just his overall game feel. But some of these are due to that. Now some of the ones that leave me scratching my head: - his dribbling is limited to short, unguarded drives (not true) - his offense is entirely standstill face up jumpers that depend on being wide open (absolutely not true) While they are still a work in progress, these are flat out wrong. Especially last year where he had many a face up elbow/sideline jumper with a hand in his face. His dribbling to the rim for a layup or dunk was another where he was massively improved from year to year. It was always his biggest weakness and the operating around screens and passing are correctable with reps and understanding schemes/assignments. He was a better player than Jalen Green was for most of last season. And in the one month where Jalen played well, Dillon was the worst starter because he turned back into the Memphis version that saw him expunged from that team. Jabari was never at any point last year the worst starter. Most of the year it was Jalen and then Dillon in the month of March. Jabari's absence during injury was palpable (2-4 in games he didn't play). I'm not a Jabari Smith superfan and expect progress this year like I saw last year. Just like I did with a certain other Rockets prospect, I will give up on expecting anything out of Bari if I'm sitting here in a year staring at a guy who's still missing defensive assignments, shooting 36% from 3 again, dribbling off his knee and not being able to navigate around screens or passing off good looks. And even then there still would be a place for him on the team. I would just refrain from expecting he's going to be a 2x-4x All Star if this is the case again next year. Let's see what he looks like but I think assumptions on him are premature, especially considering the growth he showed from year 1 to year 2.
Lmao it was not psychology as there should not be a surprise that the 3rd Overall Pick Tops or Flops, it is just how things normally shake out. Only here people pretend to care about whether you stan for/hate a player or why you stan for a player and then go back in time to rummage through your post history..... Do you think that is normal behavior on a daily dose? I mean they plan that years in advance on top of all that. If Amen, Sheppard, Sengün all shake out, then it is not out of this imaginary world that Jabari and Tari draw the shorter end on Offense, it could be that simple.
Wait, let me get this straight. You are saying: If he improves on his rebounding and defense and becomes a top 5 3pt shooter, he will not be anything more than the 5th best starter on an average team? A guy who is (1) 4th in rebounding among PFs and (2) plays decent to good defense and (3) is the second best 3pt shooting starter on an average team would become the 5th best starter on an average team if he improved on all of the above. What kind of logic is that? (And a top-5 3pt shooter will maybe score more than 10 points a game? Did you know that he already scored more than 10 points a game by being average at 3pt shooting?)
Jabari was consistently the worst stater last season and that's okay because he's the youngest starter.
Well...first, what you said is a joke. Secondly, Ime plays a guy 32 mins. a game (67%) of available minutes. Straight up....give me your expectation of what he should be doing in your opinion...ppg.,rebounds, steals,blocksetc. THEN...give me your prediction on those numbers for this year.
He still looks the same, still taking those soft ass falling jumpers, or like Shaq says foo foo shots.
