Yeah no he doesn't. I dismissed all the concerns about his at-the-rim game coming out of college but seems like they're legit and he's actually the Rockets worst finisher by FG% underneath as a result - worse even than hopeless clods like Garuba. I hope he can improve but it doesn't seem to be the result of bad luck, he just doesn't go up very fast or jump very high. That seems to limit his ceiling as high end piece that accompanies a superstar, but never going to be one in his own right.
Well If you dismissed his at the rim college %, did you dismiss his natural shooting ability and tenacity as well? I never mentioned nothing about his jumping ability so I don't know where you going with that I mentioned the three small pieces he could take from the Kevin's, which he has two of the three already and has Dream at his front door if he wanted to improve footwork/post game After getting more comfortable n confident his shooting will become even more pure and his manhood tenacity will be similar to how when KG came of age in his version of that
This is honestly the absolute best comparison He's not quick enough to be a durant, he can't shoot off screens like klay ray allen etc
He is 6 months younger than Paolo and what's so scary about him being 6 months younger? Banchero could do all of this when he was younger than what Smith is now. I don't understand why we have the need to create things to make our players look better than others. Smith being 6 months younger has nothing to do with anything.
At the end of the year, he should average 16 to 17 points a game, 8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks a game. He will be voted 2nd place for ROY and Mathurian and Bancheros averages will drift downward during the 2nd half.
Jabari is the perfect player for the playoffs. He can switch on defense, he helps spacing with his shot and he can get his shot off over anyone. He needs strength, experience and a real PG and then he'll be the perfect compliment to Green. I love seeing him learn how he can contribute and compete. He is fearless and has an attitude. Kid is a gamer. When he puts it all together watch out. I'm excited to see how he develops the rest of the year.
Did y'all forget this? The amount of KG disrespect is hilarious. The only things the 2 have in common are their lanky frame, D, and attitude. This is like all the fools calling Eddy Curry baby Shaq before getting completely dismantled by Yao in 2 quarters. Smith is just a taller, less athletic Ariza right now. Let's wait until he is on Lewis's level before dreaming about KG/KD.
Dude clearly never really paid attention to prime KD .. You're only gonna frustrate yourself responding.. Just leave em be!
Nit picking a rookie who at this point is probably top 3 or 4 in the class and obviously improving despite the negatives is just dumb. Straight up.
Not sure the stats will backup it up, but according to my eye test, he has looked better around the rim the last 10 games or so.
https://www.positiveresidual.com/shiny/true-shooting-charts/ You can adjust by date on there and you are correct.
Completely agree. Maybe the Auburn data is not finite. Not sure why that would be (sample size?) but his footwork is also looking better. I think Smith is 3 years away from top 15 ranking.
His body is obv less developed than Paolo, just look at the 2 of them. Banchero looks big and jacked Jabari looks pretty slim for a 6'10 big. It is scary for Jabari cuz he is focused on defensive and rebounding end, as his body develops then he is gonna be even better on defense and on the boards. Being younger doesnt mean anythingwhen they are both 30 yrs old but as rookies it def is a factor.
Kevin Garnett was an above average post player. People acting like he was an elite post player, please demonstrate it. As I recall, he was often criticized for his post efficiency in the playoffs vs other elite big men. He was not elite at post scoring for his generation and certainly not across generations. Also, of all the ways to score only the mid range is a lesser way of scoring than the post, so post dominance in 2022 is not a huge deal unless it's combined with an outside game. Incredible player once you factor in his defense and passing at his peak, but purely from a post scoring perspective, it's not that unattainable. He was still worthless in the post when he was 20 years old. In time, Jabari can certainly replicate Garnett's post game (hook shot + turnaround jumper) and replace Garnett's low efficiency 3pt shots with high efficiency 3pters. Can easily be done with Jabari's physical attributes and more importantly with his seriousness about winning. He's clearly a hard worker on the court and probably off the court too. Seems extremely coachable. Defensively it's not even that close, Jabari is a far better defender at 20 years old than Garnett was at this age. Neither of them are anchoring a defense and Garnett didn't have to switch between perimeter and interior half as often as Jabari. You can say it's not statistically likely that a great 20 year old will eclipse Garnett, but you are lying if you say that the projections are not exciting in that regard.
