I've been pounding the "work with Dream" table since we drafted him. Was my first post after the pick. With his footwork, length, and want to, this kid can be excellent in the low block with a little bit of bulk and some handles.
The Rockets are the worst team in the league. I honestly don't think there's gonna be guard play that helps him. But he doesn't need it. He looks smooth to me. He just needs to focus on getting shots up. That's step one. Don't just be floating around waiting for three point shots. Run, move, and position yourself to get them. Demand the ball in location. Run the rim when the guards drive. That is season one for me. He's clearly gonna get 15-20 a game out of the gate. But I would like to see him earn the points with position.
How is he gonna clearly get 15-20 a game when he has 2 other guys that dominate the ball, how is he going to demand the ball when he is at the 3-point line?
That will be Silas job. And yeah, he didn‘t do a great job at getting the ball in the hands of Green or Sengun most of the year, so that might not work. KPJ should be told to be a pass first PG. That doesn‘t mean he shouldn‘t shoot or drive to score - it means, his first priority should be to get others good shots. We also should run the offense through Sengun at the top of the key for longer stretches. And Green needs to get better at passing to the open man in the corner, when the defender helps. We also need to incorporate some plays for Smith that involves him either posting up or trying to create some space of the dribble, no matter if its a step back, a fake/turnaround or a crossover. Yes, he will struggle, but that‘s the point - work on your weakness. He needs at least one or two go to moves that give him a high percentage shot. I don‘t see him getting 20 points this season. I am still not positive Green will get 20 - but I am hoping for 23 for Green. I see him scoring 10-15 points per game, depending on how well they can incorporate him in the offense. This is still a season that we should be worrying about developement first and foremost. Smith can shoot - now we need to teach him, how to get better shots by himself. Just as Green, KPJ, Sengun and basically everybody else on the roster have things they need to get better at.
I like the kid, It was disappointing watching the first game against Paulo, but I think we knew that Paulo would be the most NBA ready, he is also 6 months older than Jabari, and Chet is a full year older than Jabari. I liked Jalen Green pre draft last year, and thought maybe we blew the pick after the first few months of the season, and he has turned out to be a good player, he was also one of the youngest in his class as well. For Jabari to be playing well defensively already that is a huge plus. I expect him to come out slow to start the season as well similar to how Jalen did.
^ yeah it all seems to me like a guy that really has practiced one thing, and not a lot of things. I think I read an article about his upbringing and how his dad was insistent he practice the shot cause he saw where the NBA was going with the 3 point shot. So he's worked on his shot almost exclusively, and grew tall enough to be able to use it basically whenever he wants. Ignoring the fact that that's not even working... The question becomes does a few years of working on other stuff, too, improve all of the above... and to what extent?? I don't think any of us really know the answer to that... even Jabari himself. Only time will tell. I personally don't want to be all negative about it... BUT, I think anyone would be insane to expect major transformations here. Rather, what I hope for is incremental improvement, as he improves his body, and starts hitting his shot like he can. And maybe that gets you a multi-year 20ish ppg scorer that's not a creator but plays near all nba defense some years. It's just a lower ceiling than Chet or Paolo, but it is what is is. Moreover, basketball is a team game with so so many other factors. The Thunder drafted KD, Russ and Harden in back to back drafts, added Serge and have one Finals game win to show for it and are otherwise sitting exactly where we are. The JG/Paolo combo still seems tantalizing, offensively. But does it get you a ring, who knows?? We have who we have, work to maximize it while continuing to add on imo.
When KPJ first moved to PG that’s what he tried to be and he struggled. Once he started to play his game and let the passing come to him, he became much better. For now, I think that’s what we need to expect from him. Let Sengun and Green grow into larger roles as facilitators and the offense as a whole should be better for it.
So here is the thing. Yall remember when Green came in to the NBA (ignore SL) we all thought his handle looked...pretty bad, for a guard at least? Over the year, not sure what happened, maybe it was the coaching but it tightened up... A LOT. If it was the coaching hopefully they can work that magic on Bari. If Bari gets even an average handle he's going to be a monster offensively.
Yeah I don’t think nobody says man Giannis has some sick handles or man Giannis shot is money. And yet he get can get whatever he wants offensively.
Yeah, nobody knows how things will work out. The good thing is, he has good work ethic and according to his college coach, he's very coachable. That often is the tipping chip for a guy goes from good to great.
I was looking at college highlights of Jabari in Auburn, and what I didn't see a lot of was catch-and-shoot coming off screens. Not sure if that's just the college game (I don't want watch college ball). I don't think I saw many picks either (with Jabari rolling or popping out for a shot). What I did see is sorta the same we've been seeing in SL. Jabari getting the ball at the elbow, doing a jab, taking a couple of dribbles, then elevating. Another common occurrence is when he is backing someone down and wants to spin to the right, he ends up picking up his dribble and has to take a fade away. Those are tough shots, and probably not the ones we want him taking in the NBA. His shot in college was a beautiful parabola, not the low arc we've seen so far. Likely just nerves, and he's gonna start hitting them more. But the way he played offense in college, I don't really see it being wise in the NBA. If Auburn didn't run a lot of screens for him, that's something that might take awhile for him to learn. But if he can get his shot out quickly, I don't see a reason why he can't do it.
Alot of posters really want to cap a dudes ceiling after 2 games. You would have thought they would have learned not to rush their takes out there. Especially not after 2 SL games.
Simplified example. Saying this for like 100th time, but if we don't run some sets of double high post or a variation, I'm going to be upset. Sengun/Smith would be amazing in this + green/KPJ. Found an example for NBA teams running variations.
