Proud of the way Bari played tonight, especially in the 2nd half. He was excellent on both sides of the ball. Played with a ton of heart.
Bari is now averaging 15 ppg and 7 rpb while shooting .39 from 3 and playing great defense. For those who think this kind of production is easily replaceable, only six players last season averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds while shooting .38 from 3:
Jabari’s defense was excellent against the Suns. He moved his feet well and did a good job of staying in front of their perimeter players.
He's still only 22, I know people get sick of hearing that but it matters. Multiple guys drafted this season are older than him. His shooting is finally starting to look like the elite guy we drafted. His handles are still bad, but magnitudes better than what they were. There's visible improvement in his overall offensive package. He still takes 1 or 2 ill advised long 2's almost every game, like he has to get them out of his system. They should fine him every time he takes a 14+ footer that isn't near the end of the clock.
It baffles me that we have some people on this forum that seem to hate a Rockets player just because he has been arguably a bit disappointing for his draft position, when he's a) Still an above-average NBA player b) Does not appear to have egregious toxic traits on or off the court (bad body language/personality, ballhog, lazy) just goes about his business and plays his role c) Is not wildly overpaid for his 4th/5th starter role I don't know I just don't get it at this point
Yeah, he had some freak injuries, and he probably encountered a GM that is one heck of a tough negotiator.....
This is why I don't understand the mentality some have that there are only two categories of players: (1) stars; and (2) role players. This mentality seemingly harkens back to a version of the NBA where you just collect as many "stars" as possible and try to make it work out. That NBA does not exist anymore. Nowadays, to win in the second apron age, you need (1) 2 - 3 max guys; and (2) 2 - 3 high end starters on non-max contracts who complement the max guys well. Virtually every true contender is constructed this way. In this regard, a guy like Bari, arguably, is just as hard to find as a "star."
Just because there are stars, role players, and not good enough to be role players, that doesn't mean there isn't a huge amount of difference in the groups, and that there aren't subgroups within those groups. Also, much, much harder to get a star than a high-end role player.
I don't know which is harder to get. But I'd rather have high end role players with a lesser contract than a low end star with a max. What you want is mid to high end stars. Those are hard to come by.
I just don't agree. I'm not sure it is "much, much" easier to get a high level starter who complements an existing "star" than it is to find a "star." When you look at recent trades, high level starters with complementary skillsets are incredibly valuable in trades - Mikal Brides, Desmond Bane, etc. Say what you will, I maintain that if we swapped Banchero for Bari, we'd get worse and the Magic would get better, even though Banchero is a "star" and Bari is not.
Not everybody on a max is a star. Maybe old low-end stars aren't worth the 35% of the cap, but I think any low-end star is worth 25-30% of the cap (i.e., less than 10 years of experience). For the most part, good max contracts, rookie deals, and good rookie extensions are generally the best contracts.
It probably is good in future seasons for him to get as much runway as he gets now, but this is one of my pet peeves. Taking unforced low-efficiency shots that rarely lead to free throws instead of making additional passes to see if someone else gets a highly efficient shot. He's having such a good year at so many things, and this just puts a slight taint on it. I will say that when I watched him in college, I thought he would do better in the NBA at these shots. He gets enough elevation with his quick release that it is mostly just on him if he makes it or misses it.
