I don't know who is defending Jabari? Everone has agreed he's been disappointing? I think @Easy bought up Durant to show that sometimes even great shooters come into the NBA shooting poorly. As for statisical odds, again, it's more likely that a #3 overall pick becomes an all-star than say...Tari Eason at #17 does. All Jabari has to do is hit his open shots at an AVERAGE clip if his shot comes around the narrative flips about him just like that, doesn't it? I don't think it's about statistical odds at all, at the end of the day its on the player. It's not likely you even draft a perennial all-star in the first place. Like it's also not statistically like that Paolo, Cade, Wagner, whoever, also become top 30 players. That's why rebuilding takes so long because it can take years of finding that player. I mention it all the time though, pull up all rookie lists of 5 years ago and back and count the number of players that become irrelevant. Guys like MCW, Jahlil Okafor, Ben Simmons (lol), Dennis Smith Jr, etc etc all looked promising at one point. So to keep saying "It's statistically unlikely that Jabari becomes anything." Well, yes, that's true of EVERY rookie. 2nd and 3rd years are FAR FAR more important for evaluation than the first.
I don't know what we're actually arguing about anymore, whether he is the actual 450th best player in the NBA or a "true bust" whatever that is? I know he ranks in the bottom percentiles in many many categories, especially when you limit it to guys who have played required minimums. Whether or not that makes him a "true bust" or "the worst" i leave up to you, he's definitely been far far below expectations and probably the worst of the top few picks (not counting Holmgren).
Kevin Durant will go down as one of the best players of all time and is clearly a generational prospect so I highly doubt anybody said Jabari's season has been KD-esque. What that poster is probably referring to is how KD shot badly from 3 and then picked it up. I dont get this narrative of statistical odds. Every NBA player is defying statistical odds as only the top 300 people in the world make it to the NBA and majority of players dont get extensions on their rookie contract. How is that even relevant to Jabari? People acting like he'll never turn it around are pretty ridiculous given he is only 19 and has been an elite shooter all his life. It's not a stretch to say "he'll defy the odds" given his young age and status as a rookie wtf.
Shooting form is a good starting point for potential, but confidence is everything for in game shooting. Many rookies need an adjustment period even if they were established shooters in college because NBA defenders are on another level. Steve Novak was a pure shooter and eventually shot 43% from deep in the pros, but in his rookie year here only shot 33% from deep. Open shots can feel hard if you're anticipating a defender to be there. Jabari's been getting worse over time rather than getting acclimated to NBA defenses. In his first 20 games he shot 34.4% from deep. In his next 20 games he shot 28.4%. In his last 20 games he shot 20.7%. As you mentioned his form appears to have changed recently, which does not speak well to his confidence at all. It's actually a pretty terrible sign.
Durant is a great shooter..... but he also came into the league with a handle decent enough to get some of his spots.
I think if he was hitting his 3ball we would all be pretty elated with him. Ive seen a lot of positives in regards to passing, defensive rebounding and getting better at finishing inside. Maybe i’m being overly optimistic bit I think the growth of the players combined with a couple vets and a new coach have this thing looking way different nextvyear.
I wonder if the sky is going to crush you guys while you cry about it falling. I mean - I realize the absolute worth of a player is determined in year one (except for KPJ, right dadumbass?). But maybe just maybe the combination of athleticism, size and work ethic might help a highly touted prospect incrementally improve over his career?
I guess I just put little weight on rookie seasons when evaluating these players I guess. I agree he's been bad, his shooting has been terrible. I feel like his rebounding has been better than expected and his defense is solid on most nights and he's one of our better defenders along with Tari and Usman. He's definitely not the reason the Rockets can't defend, that's mainly on Sengun and Green The only time I start worrying about a guy being a bust in the first year is when the guy can't even get minutes on a bad team. Like Johnny Davis who was a top guard entering this draft currently and whispers that a guy doesn't have the work ethic, basically made his money and thinks he's going to coast through the NBA. Like, Johnny Davis is struggling in the gleague, the positive thing his coaches said about is he's showing 'flashes'...in gleague. This is just what I consider a 'terrible' rookie season I guess. I guess for me Jabari is just normal struggling, he's not been terrible in many areas of his game outside of his handle and finishing which people expected that to be an issue but he's been improving there. I guess I'm still more optimistic for him because he doesn't seem depressed about his struggles like guys like Oden and Kwame and Bennett were, he doesn't seem that down about his struggles as if he knows its temporary.
I think he needs his minutes drastically cut so he realizes he has to play better instead of being gifted starting minutes that he never earned. He’s ass right now JG got better after his injury stint when he said he sat and watched and it helped him see how he can improve
I think Durant would be a bad example as Durant is the greatest anomaly of the last decades... Dude is a sure fire 1st pick taken second. 7 footer who dribbles better than the better guards of this league. Instant Offense. Great thing he is such a flake mentally otherwise he would have had 4 or 5 rings already. Bari is probably like a Detlef Schrempf lite lite than Dirk if he improves.
I guess that's just where we differ, I don't care where a player was drafted, I care about performance. If the player is dogshit on the court, I don't care if they were the top pick in the draft It's a fact that Jabari Smith is the worst performing player on the team and that's the claim I've made. It's not up for debate, it's not hyperbole, it's an objective fact.
For all the negativity I gave him, I think being solid is the way for him to go. Learn to expand his game outside of shooting. He is not doing anything great.
This doesn’t even feel arguable. I mean someone will argue but later they’ll post again to let you know that actually they’ve been agreeing with you this entire time, because honestly nothing you said is unreasonable or remotely wrong but whatevs
I’m hoping Jabari will have one game before the end of the season where he shows he can take over and dominate. Most young players would have shown this a few times in their first season if they truly have the ability to become a star. Jabari has had enough chances this season with KPJ and Green out to be the man and has not taken advantage of these opportunities.
