1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Jabari Smith

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Rvo384, Mar 6, 2024.

  1. RB713

    RB713 Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2024
    Messages:
    3,106
    Likes Received:
    4,179
    Lol forgot about Ainge. Nevermind!
     
  2. subtomic

    subtomic Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2000
    Messages:
    4,239
    Likes Received:
    2,783
    I saw that too - that is a no brainer "yes" in my opinion. But I don't think NY would do this unless one of the picks was a 1st.
     
  3. theDude

    theDude Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2003
    Messages:
    3,764
    Likes Received:
    5,384
    I think that Rudy Gobert trade has warped everyone’s sense of reality on trading with the Jazz. They make reasonable trades all the time. Besides, anyone trading with them can walk away at any point if the price becomes too steep.
     
    Rocket River and BamBam like this.
  4. Astrosfan183

    Astrosfan183 Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2006
    Messages:
    1,296
    Likes Received:
    733
    Is OG worth paying $40 million a year (and increasing up to $48 million by the end) to?
     
    Little Bit likes this.
  5. theDude

    theDude Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2003
    Messages:
    3,764
    Likes Received:
    5,384
    As a consolidation move, and one where the cap increases by $30M over the next couple of years, I would say probably so. And it’s a move that preserves draft picks.
     
    JW86 likes this.
  6. subtomic

    subtomic Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2000
    Messages:
    4,239
    Likes Received:
    2,783
    I've demonstrated multiple times why this particular data cut is meaningless, as he's behind 4 other Rockets on TRB% and rebounds per minute. He's not a top 50 rebounder in the league.

    On extremely low volume and on wide open shots only. Any time he wasn't catching and shooting, he was likely to turn the ball over.

    He rarely provides weakside help, loses his man frequently and then compounds his mistake by blaming other players. He is very capable on the perimeter but a zero close to the basket (whether it be against bigs in the post or perimeter guys who have gotten by him). He has shown improvement in shot blocking but he's not a rim protector and he doesn't generate stocks like the elite defenders do. Even Sam Vecenie thinks Jabari is only OK on defense.

    If Jabari had outplayed Dillon Brooks, Dillon would be coming off the bench. He didn't and hasn't. And without FVV on the floor, the team couldn't even run the elementary offense that makes us all cringe. Jabari certainly wouldn't have helped with that - in fact, he'd have made it measurably worse.

    The Rockets lost because Jalen Green didn't show up and the team shot poorly. I haven't seen a single reputable commentator say "Oh the Rockets would have won if they had only played Jabari." It's only the people here who haven't accepted the kid has no potential to be more than he already is.

    He's built like Joe Smith, a #1 pick who never amounted to more than a medicore role player and who never put on significant weight. I've also seen Jabari's Dad up close - they're built exactly the same and his dad never put weight on either.

    The biggest problem with Jabari is Jabari - the lack of physical gifts beyond height, the lack of coordination and skills, and most importantly, the total lack of basketball IQ and feel.

    No but they have to be able to contribute more than Jabari ever has and ever will.

    I get there is a desire to assume the best outcome for all our young prospects, but Jabari has underperformed by every measure and almost entirely due to his own limitations and faults. He hasn't flashed anything other than a reliable face up jumper and competent perimeter defense. HIs archetype is a popular one right now, but league history is full of guys who on paper seemed like sure-fire winners but turned out to be outright busts or benchwarmers.

    If there was no salary cap and no hard financial decisions to be made, I'd be fine with keeping Jabari because he is a solid, if mediocre, role player. But that isn't the case, and if the Rockets can't keep his salary equivalent to his output, it could both affect our ability to win and to add new players. Better we take advantage that teams overvalue his archetype and trade him for a package that helps us improve to the next level.
     
    ClutchCityReturns and anvo81 like this.
  7. Hemingway

    Hemingway Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2016
    Messages:
    10,592
    Likes Received:
    13,803
    i don’t think they do it even if one of the picks was a no.1 unless it was guaranteed lottery pick. Even then I’m not sure. OG is their best player in my opinion.
     
    subtomic likes this.
  8. MystikArkitect

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2006
    Messages:
    14,082
    Likes Received:
    22,890
    Sure Jabari was pretty efficient and likely one of our 4 best players (the others being Sengun, Amen, and Adams) during that series and largely didn't force shots that weren't there and also was responsible for getting us back into multiple games with timely 3s....but it was low volume. The volume was just too low.

    There's so much wrong here I'm not even sure where to begin. Jabari should've always started over Brooks. Especially if youre shoehorning one of the dumbest shooting guards in the last 20 years into your starting lineup. That's more an Ime thing than a Jabari thing.
     
  9. dmoneybangbang

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Messages:
    22,530
    Likes Received:
    14,261
    Jabari had the same number of turnovers as Jalen Green in the GSW playoff series.... I don't think folks realize how much of an offensive liability Jabari is when he has anything to do other than a wide open shot.
     
    ClutchCityReturns, A_3PO and subtomic like this.
  10. Hemingway

    Hemingway Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2016
    Messages:
    10,592
    Likes Received:
    13,803
    Then design the offense to get him the ball in his spots. Nobody thinks he’s going to become a one on one player. He doesn’t need to be with a competent offensive coach.
     
    MystikArkitect likes this.
  11. MystikArkitect

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2006
    Messages:
    14,082
    Likes Received:
    22,890
    Klay once scored 60 points on like 8 dribbles. He's a tool that Ime has no idea how to utilize.
     
  12. Little Bit

    Little Bit Member

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2008
    Messages:
    8,051
    Likes Received:
    7,446
    No he’s not. The Rockets need more shooters, and Jabari can defend and shoot. He is perfect for this team. Our main core going forward should be Sengun, Amen and Jabari.
     
  13. dmoneybangbang

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Messages:
    22,530
    Likes Received:
    14,261
    It’s amazing you think it’s a lack of offense creativity, scheming, or design instead of the roster and the team just being very young.
     
  14. dmoneybangbang

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Messages:
    22,530
    Likes Received:
    14,261
    Ok… Does Jabari also have HOF players like Curry and Draymond playing next to his side?

    Again it’s amazing folks are actually so ignorant to think Ime has no idea how to use Jabari…
     
    #294 dmoneybangbang, Jun 9, 2025 at 7:02 PM
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2025 at 7:13 PM
  15. MystikArkitect

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2006
    Messages:
    14,082
    Likes Received:
    22,890
    This is the same guy that has started Jalen 82 games and 7 games in the post season and you have confidence in him to make the correct decisions offensively? Even though every stat available showed that starting 5 to be an absolute dumpster fire?

    I really like Ime but the playoffs, his handling of the offense and his handling of Jabari are pretty big indictments on him. We'll see next year but this whole "roll the ball out and hope Steven Adams eventually gets a put back at the rim" offense doesnt inspire confidence.
     
    daywalker02 likes this.
  16. dmoneybangbang

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Messages:
    22,530
    Likes Received:
    14,261
    So we just replacing Jalen with Jabari? Jalen with Reed? Jalen for Holdiay? More FVV?!

    This is the same guy that got the Rockets to the 4th net rating so clearly if the goal is to out score your opponent then he made some overall good lineup choices. Quite the dumpster fire of lineups…

    Or maybe we are just a super young team without someone to consistently run an offensive aside from an overtaxed FVV?
     
    subtomic likes this.
  17. peleincubus

    peleincubus Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2002
    Messages:
    26,715
    Likes Received:
    14,990
    I completely disagree. At a reasonable salary he absolutely a winning player. I hope he is on the rockets for the next several years.
     
  18. MystikArkitect

    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2006
    Messages:
    14,082
    Likes Received:
    22,890
    Both things can be true. Ime deserves an immense amount of credit for getting us to where we got. He also isnt immune to criticism for some other things. In retrospect I wouldve sacrificed wins to develop Reed. But we also have the data and maybe we wouldn't have known how we wouldve performed against GSW.

    Next year will be the first real year of expectations and contracts. Im curious to see how they handle it.
     
  19. dmoneybangbang

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Messages:
    22,530
    Likes Received:
    14,261
    Ok? Was that ever the issue? I certainly have never argued Ime wasn't immune from criticism but push back against the criticism of "Ime didn't develop player X"... "Ime didn't develop an offense for player X".... "Ime is stubborn by playing FVV too much"...

    You brought up the starting lineup numbers but didn't consider the entire lineup which produced the 4th best net rating.

    And what if it takes more than a few wins to "develop Reed"? You make it seem like there's a known cost to simply develop Reed which isn't the case.... maybe you end up killing his confidence because he just can't "get it" his rookie year after putting so much effort into it.

    I also feel strongly that meritocracy and expectations to earn minutes is a form of development.

    We know we have an elite defense but the key will be more balance without sacrificing our defensive identity.
     
    subtomic likes this.
  20. CantStopJG24

    CantStopJG24 Member

    Joined:
    Oct 10, 2022
    Messages:
    2,874
    Likes Received:
    3,578
    I don't see why the Knicks would do this but I'd even throw in the 10th pick for OG.
     

Share This Page