ClutchFans Game Thread: Rockets @ Magic - Vegas Summer League 7/7/2022

Keegan is great and could very well be the rookie of the year. He also is basically the same age as Zion and older than every rookie we took this draft or last years draft. To me, that's the only reason why he wasn't considered a top 3 pick - he is already pretty much a "finished" product. The top 3 (and Ivey) still have years to grow in their body and finetune their craft. Basically you would have to compare rookie Keegan to third year Jabari...

 

I actually think Wood is a great comparison. And I think I'd be happy with a Christian Wood with elite defense and a winning mentality - that doesn't care about stats and is a gymrat. If he can be a 20-10 player with elite defense and a leader on the floor, that's a win.

 

If we had gotten Paolo, we woulda have been complaining that the guards froze out Paolo too. The Magic were lookin to play through Paolo at every turn while the Rocket guards were too busy getting theirs.

 

I think Jabari is a natural 4, but why are good handles necessary to play the wing? 3 and D has been an archetype of the position for decades. Sometimes even the 3 or the D are optional, like in the case of Andre Roberson.

If you imagine Jabari as a larger and more offensively talented Robert Covington then he'll be capable on the wing. Covington still played SF even this season for the Clippers. I personally think his handles are far better than Covington's.

 

Just saying they're "both 6'10" stretch bigs" is like saying Lebron James and Kyle Kuzma are "both 6'9" forwards." Smith is more of a 3/4. Wood is more of a 5. Offensively, their games are pretty different. Defensively, it's night and day. They are very, very different players. Aside from the fact that they're both 6'10" and can shoot threes, I'm not sure there's a ton of similarities beyond that.

And to say you have to be selfish to contribute on offense is just straight up inaccurate. There are a ton of great offensive players in the league's history who can/could play within the flow of the game and don't need to chunk up 18-20 shots a night or have the ball run through them to be effective.

 

Wrong. You can play through Paolo on offense because he is a centerpiece, just give him the ball and he will create for himself and others. You have to setup Jabari and put him in a position to score. He touched the ball plenty of times last night and had to give it back up because he wasn't open. Need guards who can break a defense down and create shots for jabari, he is one of the most efficient finishers (3pt) of plays.

 

Yeah, but I liked that he used that beautiful turnaround jumper in the second half. He's got that shot in his back pocket whenever he wants it, and it's damn near unguardable. And he took Paolo off the dribble a couple of times. He's not a statue if you put the ball in his hands in 1 on 1 situations, and he can still get up good shots when defended/contested. He's just not a guy with a ton of tools in his toolbag yet or a great handle off the dribble.

 

So much of the talk has been about Smith, but if last night was an audition for backup PG, TyTy definitely outplayed Nix. He's just a much smoother ballhandler, a better playmaker and he was much better defensively than I was expecting. I'd really like to see him starting at some point this Summer League. If he's got the ball in his hands, I think shooters like Smith will get much better looks (and actually get looks, period).

 

I’m not sure about that.

Paolo is just a different offensive player. Several times last night he simply went to the top of the key and basically was like give me the ball and come set this screen for me….whereas Jabari was the one setting a bunch of screens.

But we all knew this a long time ago. Jabari’s path to being a great player isn’t going to look like Paolo’s.


I said the same thing about Cade vs Green last year.

Cade was going to look better early on because he’s a primary initiator. His game isn’t as dependent on others setting him up. He is the table setter. Same with Paolo and Jabari except to a much sharper degree.

Hopefully the real Rockets do a better job of incorporating him so he too can shine and progress as a player.

 

In what way are their offensive games different? I assume both can finish in transition, neither should lead the break... Wood had a superior post game and dribble penetration (at age 25-6 dunno what he looked like before) and Smith passed when he was covered... as he should. That's different I guess.

It's been one game caveat. I'm not declaring myself knower of all things Jabari Smith... I'd like to know how they're different on offense.

 

Liked TyTy a lot he looked very comfortable and much bigger than I thought. He should be backup PG and JC backup SG.

Smith is who we thought he was. He’s not a primary initiator. It’s going to be a long patient road as he’s the youngest of the top 3. Wish I had more faith in the coaches to meld the Sengun, Green, Smith talents into a cohesive offense. There is a lot for Silas to work with.

 

No matter how many times this is said I dont think folks will understand. The Magic showcased Paolo everytime he stepped onto the floor. The Rockets? they showcased Josh Christopher

 

No I am not defending Silas. All I am trying to do is remind folks that this is the summer league…. Coaches will use the summer league in ways to see fit to evaluate guys that are trying to make a roster. Then we have a roster full of players trying to make their way onto the team. What I am trying to say is pump the brakes about the summer league and look at it from a different angle. It’s like wanting to fire a NFL coach after day 1 of the NFL pre-season. The summer league isn’t even the pre-season. Lol

Save the coaches evaluation for the regular season. If it looks like chaos on the floor in the regular season, then it will be time to think about what do we need to do with Silas.

 

Do you remember Rashard Lewis? Jabari is probably a lot closer to Lewis than he is to Wood.

 

I wish we had someone who could pass the ball.



This is why I was high on Paolo.
I thought Nix could bring some of this but he has disappointed. They don’t have to be Giddey or the next pistol Pete or Magic, but damn can we get someone who can consistently make good high level passes and hit guys while they are open?

I really hope KPJ has progressed as an initiator.

 

Possibly, but surely five years from now it will feel like they were finally justified in reacting this way to a summer league game when we intersect with told-you-so avenue.

 

Yes, I also had that thought but Wood is a much fresher memory... All I remember of Lewis is 3's.

Green will need to be as good or better than Harden if we're going to sniff a title and Smith is Rashard Lewis (2 time all-star, 17 per). Or we draft Wembanyama and he's Lebron Abdul Jabar. Or KPJ, Sengun, Smith, and Green all become studs and we're the Celtics.

 

C Wood 2.0? It's been one summer league game
Maybe have one of those new DQ Banchero Blizzards and cool down some

 

There's no certain path to a championship. OKC drafted three MVPs in consecutive years and didn't win one. Toronto only drafted two players who even made an all-NBA team in the past 20 years and neither of them were on their championship roster.

We don't know how good any of our young players are yet. The players we drafted last year are technically still rookies. Plus we have max cap space next season and Brooklyn's draft picks and swaps through 2027. Our future is not determined by Jabari Smith's ceiling.