Stretch 4's can hit shots. Remember when everybody ***** on Jalen for his "efficiency?" Jabroni shot under 30% from the field, and he's a big man.
he can hit assisted threes but he don’t even be looking for that shot. He don’t need to come inside the perimter on offense anymore. We cool on that
Why not just move Sengun to the 4 (as he can actually shoot) and have a stretch 4 who can actually score then play Adams or another big man as a rim protecting 5? Seems more feasible to me than continuing the Jabroni Smith Jr "I'm charmin soft tour"
Wouldn’t be surprised if Jabari and his agent push for a trade. At this pace, Jabari isn’t worth more than 8M a year, if that.
Funny thing is I got all sorts of hate earlier in this thread for making the statement that Smith would never average more than 15 points in the NBA. I am beginning to think that may have been a bit too high as it is likely more like 14 ppg.
Dude wants to be the next KD but lacks the skill, size, length, IQ, and athleticism. He has a shining career as a reporter tho, go do that.
His pops needs to keep it real with him. SLand so does this organization. I want sometime to send him a video of Robert Horry, Ryan Anderson, and Eddie Johnson. That’s his lane. I blame the fans and media too for disillusioning him Folks on this forum saying he can teach Kawhi snd Durant. He can’t even each Klay or Kuzma
Rockets would be better with Jack McVeigh at the 4 than Brickari! @RB713 @J.R. @Richard Barrow @Jontro
I sold my Bari stocks and invested more in Jalen and Fred. I'm eager to see the result of the next game.
Chet was the one! https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/what-player-do-you-want-to-select-in-the-2022-nba-draft.315568/ What player do YOU want to select in the 2022 NBA Draft? Chet Holmgren 114 vote(s) 43.2% Paolo Banchero 22 vote(s) 8.3% Jabari Smith 121 vote(s) 45.8% Jaden Ivey 5 vote(s) 1.9% Other 2 vote(s) 0.8% https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/nba-draft-lottery-is-may-17th-give-your-top-5.315715/ ClutchFans X poll — March 13, 2022 Pre-March Madness Edition: If the #Rockets were lucky enough to get the #1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, who would you like to see them select? Jabari Smith 49.6% Chet Holmgren 38.1% Paolo Banchero 10.1% Other (Ivey, Griffin,etc) 2.2% Pre-Lottery (not pre-draft, pre-lottery) https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/nba-draft-lottery-is-may-17th-give-your-top-5.315715/ Who’s the Number 1 Pick? Chet 76 vote(s) 42.7% Jabari 84 vote(s) 47.2% Paolo 17 vote(s) 9.6% Other 1 vote(s) 0.6% (Not who do you want but who will go #1) https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/...o-1-ranking-by-coach-that-faced-all-3.315897/ Who will go #1? Paolo 25 vote(s) 21.4% Jabari 53 vote(s) 45.3% Chet 39 vote(s) 33.3% *Assuming Chet/Jabari go 1/2 https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/who-do-you-want-at-3.315838/ Who do you want at #3? P. Banchero 334 vote(s) 75.2% J. Ivey 47 vote(s) 10.6% S. Sharpe 10 vote(s) 2.3% Other (Say in post) 23 vote(s) 5.2% Trade for #1 30 vote(s) 6.8% https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/which-of-the-top-prospects-do-you-want.316162/ Which player are you hoping for? Jabari Smith 23 vote(s) 24.5% Chet Holmgren 33 vote(s) 35.1% Paolo Banchero 33 vote(s) 35.1% Jaden Ivey 5 vote(s) 5.3% Biggest bust potential https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/biggest-bust-potential.315637/ Five years from draft night, who is most likely to be considered a 'bust'? Paolo Banchero 22 vote(s) 11.5% Chet Holmgren 89 vote(s) 46.4% Jaden Ivey 5 vote(s) 2.6% Keegan Murray 12 vote(s) 6.3% Shaedon Sharpe 57 vote(s) 29.7% Jabari Smith 7 vote(s) 3.6% No poll, Rockets based big board https://bbs.clutchfans.net/threads/your-rockets-based-big-board.316113/
No real risk at all with Smith — Wasserman No fail-prospect — Vecenie Where the hell is this guy? https://www.nba.com/draft/2022/prospects/jabari-smith Prospect Overview Unique forward who blends advanced jump shooting ability with great intensity and versatility on the defensive end but is still only scratching the surface of the two-way weapon he could become. About Jabari Smith Jabari Smith is a tall forward with impressive perimeter shooting ability who brings tremendous intensity and versatility to the defensive end. The son of former junior college and LSU standout, Jabari Smith, who spent parts of four seasons in the NBA, the second generation pro solidified himself as one of the top-10 prospects in the high school class of 2021 in the summer before his junior year averaging 13.8 points and 6.2 rebounds over 18 minutes per game while helping the United States to a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA U16 Americas Championship. Capping his prep career at Sandy Creek High School (GA) with McDonald’s All-American honors, the two-way forward figured to play a prominent role as a freshman at Auburn, but exceeded expectations as one of the driving forces behind the Tigers rise to the top of The Associated Press poll for the first time in program history. Meshing well with a host of newcomers under head coach Bruce Pearl, Smith averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting 42% from beyond the arc in over 28.8 minutes per game to earn National Freshman of the Year and Consensus Second-Team All-American honors. • Listed at 6-foot-10 without shoes with decent length and a 220-pound frame that still has some room to fill out, Smith has good size for a power forward. He is more fluid than explosive, but has great lateral quickness for his size. • Making the most of his size and ability to move his feet on the defensive end, Smith stood out consistently with his ability to guard multiple positions and the rare, unwavering motor he played with at just 18 years old. • Showing dynamic jump shooting ability for a college freshman, Smith filled a fairly unique offensive role in his lone collegiate season as Auburn’s only particularly consistent shot-maker and leading scorer. Making shots from all over the floor both off the catch and off the dribble out of a variety of actions, his shooting consistency held a prominent role in Auburn’s half court offense. His ball ability to create high percentage shots off the dribble and finishing consistency remain early in their development, but his utility as a shot-maker is of obvious value at the NBA level. Advanced Stats • Knocking down set shots at a very strong rate as a floor spacer while also serving as the target of many of Auburn’s designed actions in the half court, Smith did a little bit of everything offensively for the Tigers as their most efficient option in the half court. Getting shots running off screens, popping to the perimeter, receiving hand offs, and attacking mismatches, the Georgia native saw his role expand as the year wore on. • Shooting the ball with excellent mechanics, footwork, rotation, and touch, nearly two-thirds of Smith’s shot attempts were jumpers. Looking comfortable getting jumpers in a wide array of situations with his attempts split almost evenly between catch and shoot jumpers and pull-ups, he displayed appealing versatility with the way he scored from the perimeter. Doing some things few 18-year-olds are able to contorting his body to square up in the air to make shots, throwing in several jumpers after drawing fouls on rip-through moves, and making turnarounds spinning both directions in the post, Smith is far more than just a floor spacer. He averaged a revealing 1.20 points per catch and shoot jump shot [91st percentile] and 1.07 points per dribble jumper [96th percentile] on the year. • Finding ways to get his shot off from the perimeter but still developing as a ball handler and slasher, only 19% of Smith’s shots came in finishing situations in the half court. More fluid than explosive in traffic, Smith did not shy away from contact last season and finished several poster dunks, but scored 1.11 points per shot around the rim in the half court [48th percentile] and has room to become more consistent navigating traffic and sound as a decision-maker when putting the ball on the floor. Defensive Analysis • Impacting games defensively in ways that do not show up in a box score, Smith’s talent on that end of the floor was an important factor in Auburn’s rise to prominence last season. Showing a lot of fight regardless of how things were going for him on the offensive end, getting low while containing smaller guards on switches, and covering a lot of ground trying to make things happen off the ball, he is a multi-positional defender who competes with rare consistency. • Allowing 0.55 points per one-on-one possession [86th percentile], Smith held up exceptionally well guarding on the ball this season but still has some natural room to grow as an off-ball defender as he picks up high-level experience. — Profile by Synergy Sports https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba...s-ranked-comparisons/u2j1ylwtqe0s0nvaudpthdow https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba...draft-prospects-2022/otlbpxoyd7mz0ty2motpsdpq 2. Jabari Smith Jr., F, Auburn (6-10, 210 lbs) The 6-10 forward has a case as the best pure shooter in this class, one capable of knocking down shots from all over the floor with his high release and smooth stroke. Ultimately, Smith's development beyond his greatest skill will determine his ceiling. His quick feet, length and athleticism make him the type of versatile defender every NBA team is looking for. And if he develops into a reliable shot creator off the bounce, he'll be a multi-time All-Star and franchise player. https://nbadraft.theringer.com/2022/ 2. Jabari Smith Jr. SHADES OF Two-way Rashard Lewis, Taller Harrison Barnes, Michael Porter Jr. PLUSES Lethal spot-up shooter with an undeniable jump shot. An NBA offense will be able to install countless wrinkles to allow Smith’s perimeter talents to flourish. Auburn didn’t run him off many screens or handoffs, but he looked comfortable setting his feet then turning to shoot. Smith can pull up and make jumpers from anywhere even under pressure, or hit turnaround shots from the post. Few players boast both Smith’s size and shooting skill. Some of the clutch shots he’s made this year looked awfully like Kevin Durant. Smith lacks KD’s handle, but he’s already good enough to get a bucket even against a tightly contested defender. Bruce Pearl called Smith the best player he’s ever coached and he has empowered him with the ball. Smith frequently runs plays from around the elbows and wings, and his role as a shot creator has steadily increased as the season has passed. Smith’s father played four seasons in the NBA and taught his son strong habits and inspired his love for the game. People around the NBA say Smith is among the more mature and hardest-working prospects in this draft class. Sets a tone with his defense. He brings constant energy. He competes, flies around the floor, fights through screens, and rotates to help in the paint. On-ball, he has flashed some lockdown potential across positions. With his length, versatility, and mindset, he has the upside to make All-Defensive teams. MINUSES He doesn’t get very low with the ball, and he doesn’t have the tightest handle. There’s tightness to Smith’s lower body on drives to the rim, which limits his fluidity. This is where the MPJ comparison comes from. Considering his shooting prowess, he doesn’t need to improve much to thrive as a scorer. But becoming a guy who can get into the paint would make him virtually unstoppable. Sometimes the blinders go on when he’s dribbling and he misses open teammates with passes. The positives outweigh the negatives, but this specific area could use improvement. Rim protection is about his only notable weakness on defense. He is tall but not much of a presence defending the paint. But that’s not his role. He’s playing next to a dominant college rim protector in Walker Kessler, which works to show exactly how NBA teams will want to use him as a perimeter weapon. As Smith grows stronger and learns more, his interior defense should only grow stronger. BR 3. Jabari Smith Jr. — And there is no real risk at all with Smith, arguably the best shooting freshman big man the draft has ever seen. https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2022/6/21/23171773/nba-draft-2022-big-board-60-best-prospects-ranked 4. Jabari Smith Jr. — Smith is an awesome prospect — maybe already one of the best 6’10+ shooters in the world, and also light on his feet defensively on the perimeter — but the Auburn freshman struggles to create off the bounce and score efficiently inside the arc. https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...-holmgren-is-no-1-in-final-prospect-rankings/ 2. Jabari Smith Jr.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3374595/2022/06/21/nba-draft-guide-2022-top-100/ 2. Jabari Smith Jr. STRENGTHS Elite consensus five-star, and a top-10 recruit in the country. He was named to the rosters for the McDonald’s All-American game, the Nike Hoop Summit and the Jordan Brand Classic. In his first collegiate season, was one of the most decorated freshmen in the country. He was first-team All-SEC, won the SEC Freshman of the Year award and won multiple National Freshman of the Year awards, including the Wayman Tisdale Award. He was named a consensus second-team All-American. Tremendous size at 6-foot-10 for the type of player he is. Has good wingspan at 7-foot-1. Moves well for a player his size. Has good twitch and quickness. Gets off the ground quickly, athletically and functionally. Has good hip rotation. Has an excellent frame that should allow him to put on weight with ease and functionality. His key skill is shooting. He is the best 6-foot-10-plus teenage shooter I have ever evaluated. Has pristine mechanics. Perfect balance. Great footwork into the shot. Great rhythm and tempo throughout the shot. Quick release. Doesn’t have to dip the ball to get into the rhythm every time. High release point allows him to make contested ones. Everything is clean and simple with his jumper. All the numbers are absurd for a 19-year-old, let alone one this big. Among high-major players since 2000, only Lauri Markkanen and Jason Kapono made at least 42 percent of their 3s on at least 150 attempts as true freshmen. In total, Smith hit 41.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot jumpers this past season on 133 attempts, with almost all the makes being 3s. His shot prep off the catch is terrific, and he consistently is ready to fire. If you don’t pick him up in transition, it’s over. If you don’t find him in the corners, it’s over. If you close out short, it’s over. If you don’t switch the pick-and-pop, it’s probably over. He’s a ridiculous weapon. Moreover, Smith generates 3s and midrange shots with an awesome pull-up game. There are shot-creation issues, but this is an immediately translatable way for him to be an effective NBA scorer. Made his pull-up jumpers at a 48.1 effective field-goal percentage, 10th-best among all high-major players in college hoops to take at least 100 such shots in the half court. Before he gets to the half court, you have to pick him up quickly because he’s a legit threat to pull up in transition and hit a 3 in your face. If he moves off the ball, the key is to chase him off the line given how good he is as a catch-and-shoot guy. Even if you do, he’s excellent as a relocation shooter. Loves the one-dribble stepback 3 to his left but can also hit a one- or two-dribble midrange jumper going to both his right or his left if he needs to get some space. He can realign his body in midair to get a clean look at the rim and can rise over the top. Smith has my favorite move of any player in this class. It’s his left-hand dribble into a spinning turnaround back to his right, where he elevates when wrong-footed, fixing his alignment in midair and sinking it. It’s insane and not guardable. If you overplay the spin, he can fake the spin, pivot back and hit a jumper going left. Auburn ran some interesting actions to get him cleared out at the elbow, where he is comfortable hitting a jab-step pull-up after a dribble or a mini-hesitation rise-up for a jumper. Almost automatic from the elbows. Again, his high release point and ability to generate rhythm from a standstill is lethal. Any type of stepback or turnaround, wrong-footed or right-footed, Smith has it. Can throw together a large variety of complex moves off the bounce and string them together to get a stepback look. He finished 39th in the NCAA among the 229 players nationally to take at least 100 pull-ups in terms of effective field-goal percentage. It’s kind of unheard of for a player his age to be as good of a shooter at his size. The other part of Smith’s game that makes him so awesome is his defense. Smith is a terrific defender, one whose game should translate well in NBA settings. Will have no issues switching and should be a plus defender in that capacity as a four. Slides laterally extremely well. Beats his man to the spot and stays in front. Sticks with guards in switches and defended a ton of wings this past season with ease. Does this largely with his lateral quickness. If he beats his man to the spot, he’s awesome at using his length to contest and completely swallow up guards. Not the twitchiest guy in the world, but he reacts well to counter moves. While he’s still relatively skinny, he’s pretty difficult to go through if you try to plow through his chest. Can’t post him. Only going to get stronger too, given his frame. Does a good job in overall team defensive constructs, as well. Closes out onto shooters well for a player his size and also fights to recover. Good in help defense and very conscientious. Tries to be there if a teammate gets beaten. Makes smart plays as a weakside shot blocker on occasion. Positive anticipation, but not great. Has good hands to get into passing lanes to deflect the ball. Overall, I see him as a strong plus on defense, not necessarily a likely All-Defense team member. WEAKNESSES While Smith is extremely functional athletically with his balance, lateral quickness and hip flexibility, he’s not necessarily the most explosive athlete in the world. Doesn’t have a wild first step or crazy vertical leap. Plays with more of a hunch and wide stance than actual bend through his legs. There is room for him to add explosiveness if he starts playing with less stiffness in his lower half, but it will take time. His current way of playing may sap some of his burst. This bears itself out a couple of ways on offense as problematic. First, he can struggle to drive off his back foot and get leverage or blow by opposing players. Not as fluid as some of the best creators in the NBA. That’s the key difference between someone like him and, say, Jayson Tatum right now. Second, he’s not a good finisher given his size. Doesn’t go up with a ton of strength and doesn’t explode upward. Made 52.1 percent of his shots at the rim; that’s a below-average mark for a player of any size, let alone someone who is 6-foot-10. Needs to be able to pressure the rim in a more effective way. It feels like Smith’s not all that comfortable handling the ball to attack. His handle isn’t that tight. Doesn’t have that suddenness in change of pace off the bounce. When he tries to go forward stringing together moves, he can lose control of the ball. On top of that, also doesn’t pass well. Often passes as a last resort and misses open reads. Doesn’t collapse the defense right now because he can’t force help. The end result is that he ends up taking a bevy of pull-up jumpers that are exceptionally difficult to live on. Almost all his pull-ups are contested. He might be good enough to live off it as he keeps improving as a shooter but could be little margin for error as a creator if he doesn’t get rid of some of the stiffness over the next few years. SUMMARY Much like the other two prospects in the class, where you rank Smith is kind of a cipher for how you see basketball in the modern era. I don’t see Smith as the primary ballhandler on a team, but I do see him as an efficient, effective 20-plus point-per-game scorer who also plays great, switchable, versatile defense. Elite shooting and very good defense are two of the best assets for a teenage NBA player. It sets him up to be a no-fail prospect in many respects and a guy who could make a real impact early on. I do think there is some real upside as a shot creator, depending on how much explosiveness, athleticism and strength he can add. There is a real chance that by the time he’s 25, Smith can strong-arm his way into whatever spot he wants on the floor and shoot efficiently over the top. I see him as a high-floor, high-ceiling prospect. Because he plays on both ends, he’s someone who could impact winning at an exceptionally high level, either as a No. 1 or No. 2 option. Every team is looking for big, switchable defenders with shooting ability and potential to create shots. Smith is that guy in this class.
