Tari isn't a "better" 3 pt shooter. It's not even close, really - Tari averaged .342 on 3.2 3pa, and Bari averaged .354 on 5.8 3pa. In other words, Bari had a much better average on almost twice as many shots per game. Bari can also defend virtually any position and had a better defensive rating that Tari (104 v. 109), so I'm not sure why you believe Tari is a better defender.
Not to mention Jabari is two years younger than Tari and has two years' less basketball experience. That's a huge deal when you're talking about third year players.
Others have already posted that Jabari will probably never live up to his draft position. That doesn't mean he can't become a great role player. Amen and Alpi are our stars. We need great role players around them. Jabari has the potential to be a quality starter/great role player. We just need to make certain that his next contract is proportional to his role and not to his previous draft position.
He's not a better player than Tari at this time. I don't understand why valuing Jabari results in anyone devaluing Tari. Tari is clearly better defensively at this time. Tari's defensive DPM this year was 1.3. Jabari's was 0.3. Jabari will likely improve with time and experience but Tari is a game changer defensively which is a big reason our 2nd unit was so successful this season. I agree with every word about Jabari offensively. Ime failed in the playoffs by getting so few shots for Jabari. He is a unique mismatch at his size. Ime will need to find a way to get Jabari more shots offensively. Alpi, Jalen and FVV also need to look for Jabari more often. Jabari's potential on offense is much greater than Tari's. His defense is not there yet though. I don't see why we'd trade either one right now unless it's for a top-20 player. I hope we let next season play out and re-sign them based upon their production this coming season.
This is mostly true but it would help if Jabari could at least attack closeouts and finish a bit at the rim. He's just limited offensively. He does need more shots and Ime and his teammates need to find him more often. Great role players are essential to compete for NBA championships. Jabari has that potential.
Jabari Smith ranked 6th in rebounds per game among PF’s in the league. In the post-season he shot 45% from 3 pt and 50% from the field. You can play with defensive stats all you want. When it comes to team defense, Jabari is outstanding and his ability to guard perimeter players makes him extremely valuable. He came off the bench, because Amen is our best player and Ime refuses to sit FVV or Dillon, so it had to be Jabari. It’s almost universally acknowledged that Ime’s failure to play Jabari more in the playoffs was a big contributor to us losing the series. He is barely 22 years old when most players, especially PF’s that need to grown into their frames, hit their prime at 25. The biggest problem with Jabari is his coach’s inability to use him appropriately on the offensive side of the ball. Not every player on your team needs to be able to generate their own offense.
I've said it before, but if I had to pick three players from the current core to build around, it would be Amen, Sengun, and Bari. Amen and Sengun are clearly our best young prospects, and Bari is a perfect complement to them. It also shouldn't be that difficult to find a fourth guy, either through internal growth or via trade.
Tari isnt a good defender he just gets hot on his gambles from time to time. Basically defensive oriented Jalen Green. Issue with defensive metrics is that they're more driven by team success instead of individual success. Tari was *awful* against the Warriors. He was a worse defender that series than Jalen Green. He'll have games where his "chaos merchant" energy unsettles the other team and forces mistakes but he makes more boneheaded plays than smart ones. Basically worse Dillon Brooks right now. He's a situational defender that is probably best served in like a "defensive Aaron Holiday" role. Break glass in case of emergency so to speak.
Same core I have been saying for a while using the same reasoning. We should be building a team around Amen and Sengun and Jabari is a great fit that is the right age and progressing each year. We have a great opportunity this year and next to build a championship calibre roster with plenty of tradeable contracts (FVV, Landale, Jalen, etc.) and probably the highest quality of future draft picks (quality over quantity). We have the ability to compete more quickly if we can obtain Durant at a reasonable price, but we can also compete anywhere from 1-3 years by making mulitple appropriate trades to compliment the young core of Sengun, Amen, and Jabari. What some people don’t realize is that doing nothing this off-season is also a risk. We will have expended one of our assets, #10 and some of our future assets could become less attractive if Phoenix and Dallas (already downgraded somewhat) manage to make positive moves. There are numerous guys that are going to be available via trade or MLE that fit better around our core than FVV, Dillon, and maybe Jalen. We don’t have to do it all at once, but just running it back while others take advantage of so many teams with salary cap concerns is pretty stupid in my opinion.
Stone's top of the round drafting is looking poor...Jalen not good enough, Jabari, not good enough - ....what is next? Amen, Reed? His mid round drafting has been great, Tari, Alpi, Cam DD
He hit an absolute HR with Amen and Alpi, jury is still out on Jabari, Jalen, Tari and Cam. No GM’s hit on all their draft picks.
Idk why but I feel like Amen & Jabari will become a nasty duo in a couple years If we have to keep one between Bari & Tari I’m probably picking Bari. Feel like his ceiling is much higher and will have the better career
I think Tari is an ideal bench player, like Pat Bev was. High energy guys off the bench are very valuable. Jabari is the better team defensive player and has the makings of a knock-down perimeter shooter. Much higher potential than Tari and 2 years younger. Unfortunately, I’m sure any trade partner is going to see it the same and may be able to coerce Stone into Jabari over Tari in a trade for Giannis for example.
I agree. I see Jabari becoming one of the better stretch 4’s in the league and a valuable starter to stretch the floor next to Sengun I’m scared Ime is going to push Stone to trade our offensive weapons as long as he gets to keep Fred, Amen, and Tari
I share the fear that Ime is really the top dog when it comes to roster moves. I think he has more sway with the owners and is a much stronger personality than Stone. I think Stone is the contract wrangler and may have more sway on who to draft (Reed doesn’t seem like an Ime pick to me), but when it comes to FVV and Dillon he will bludgeon Stone into making a bad decision. Standing pat is a bad decision.
I disagree, but it is a reasonable assumption that a lot of fans are making. I don’t think Ime is assuming that. I think he absolutely loves the guy. Out of Jalen and Sengun, I actually think Sengun is the more likely to be traded, unfortunately.
Bari is an ideal role player on a championship team. Doesn’t need the ball to score, great rebounder and defender. Tari is an ideal bench contributor. Energy, shooting, defense, versatility. We need to keep both. It’s FVV and Green that need to go. Especially Green. Lavine, Garland, Coby White, Derrick White, so many options that if we had last season instead of Green we’d gotten out of the first round. Go get Booker for Green, FVV and picks and then you’ll see this team reach the next level.
Lots more teams with money in the 2026 FA market and Bari gonna be in demand. We need to extend both Bari and Tari this offseason. Get them both locked up for a combined $45 mil per. Go to work Stone!
