Somewhat. (presuming you mean Sengun) it’s not as clear which archetype I think fits best with him. I have read people state Victor W or Chet would create the most synergy. I don’t know though.
Smith is 1- a good kid 2- an “NBA kid” 3- already an above average shooter 4- 21 years old Trashing him is so dumb. I don’t think he is Batman but everything else is in play.
I expect his 3 point shooting to be around 38-40 percent with good efficiency. Jalen might get better to around 34-35 percent. Cam will get better as well. Tari will be fine, but his minutes might be somewhat limited because he missed 60 games. Bottom line, we need another veteran 3 point shooter. Dillon might be traded by the deadline.
This is the only thing you listed that truly matters at the end of the day, and it's objectively false. His rookie season shooting was abysmal, and while his second season was better, it was still below average. Through 156 total games, his eFG% is barely on the right side of 50 -- more than 4% below league average. Even in his better season, his eFG% was still just 21st out of 29 among qualifying PFs. If you include centers, he was 41st of 54. He's on a positive trajectory and that's great, but you're giving him credit for something he's yet to achieve.
Jabari’s role on this team is 3 and D. He is a 38% three point shooter in his second season, and a really good defender bordering on great. Watch the games and who he is assigned (Wemby, Chet, Lebron, etc.) and he gives them fits. I would like to see him be more aggressive on offense and rebounding (he was the fifth best PF in the league n rebounding), but anybody saying Jabari wasn’t an excellent second year player knows absolutely nothing about basketball.
His second year 3pt shooting is actually right at league average, and above average among PFs. His excellent shooting in HS and college, and NBA average in is second pro year, pretty much indicates that the poor shooting in one rookie season was a fluke.
Jabari's stroke is so pure. Anybody who can't see that is blind. But his shaky mental toughness gets in the way far too often and it affects his energy, defense and shooting simultaneously. Until he learns to channel negativity like a mature player, Jabari will never reach his potential. I don't want to see him mope and get down on himself any more. His rebounding and effort on defense must be there every single night. It's great Jabari has a pure stroke, but he must become deadly when left uncontested. When he's at the FT line late in games, his stroke should be at its purest. When Jabari "isn't feeling it" on the court, I don't want it on display. IMO, a mentally tough Jabari is a +40% 3-point shooter who brings an efficient 17/8 and great defense to this team. While his year-over-year improvement was a good sign, I have doubts he'll make the next step.
I guess I’m just referring to his three-point percentage improvement and going off a little bit of his production at Auburn. It is not particularly shocking to me that has percentages take a dip as he modifies his body and plays in the NBA. Shooting and offensive efficiency overall are the least of my worries.
He doesn't give anyone fits, which is why, as far as I can recall , Brooks was the first choice defender on all of those players. As he should be - the guy is an all defensive team caliber player - Smith meanwhile has never even received a single vote. Dylan Brooks on Wembanyma in particular was hard to miss (he also took on Jokic quite a bit iirc) - did you even watch?
He needs to take the next step if he wants to be great, otherwise his high floor will probably still keep him in the league for another 10-12 years. I just love his potential as a player.
He can only get more efficient, on a team with shot happy guards and other wings that need shots, it is difficult for him to average around 20 ppg.
I worry about Jabari’s offensive processing speed. KJ Martin was getting 3 cut dunks a game from Alperen. Easy to see guys like Tate and Cam doing the same. When is Jabari Smith going to move without the ball? For jumpers, for dunks? Move man! Also, where is the rim contesting? Statistically he contests the same number of shots at the rim as Kevin Durant. Defend more than just your man, kid!
speaking of # of dunks last year here are the # dunks per 36min of 5 of our core 7 guess who they are 2.28 1.64 1.13 0.68 0.66
To be fair to him, I’m 99% sure this was not his call. His role in a slow half court system was to be stationary and show his hands when he’s free. I would be shocked if Udoka was letting a 20 year old with a poor handle make these decisions autonomously. We crowded the paint to the point every single perimeter player struggled to penetrate the paint vs what we expected of them going into the season. The last thing we needed is one more guy throwing himself into that paint. That was an Udoka mistake. Like all the young players, he got better at this as we picked up the pace and sought more 3’s. It helped him a lot to have space to step into a mid range jumper or attack a close out. From the sound of things they have made up their mind to play fast and that’s going to be awesome to watch. Good luck to FVV and Brooks keeping up with the hounds.
I hope that is the case. He does not seem like a natural off-ball mover to me. For off-ball perimeter shooting, or for cuts to the rim. I hope he gets it. Even flashing for some mid-range would be beautiful.
Your recollection is faulty. Jabari was the main defender on Chet and Wemby. You should go re-watch the games. Dillon is a good defender, but he is not tall enough to guard Wemby and Chet. Dillion is also a foul machine that literally has no offensive skill other than being ok at wide-open 3’s. He should not be on this team. There are 3 better players at his position (the only one he can play) on the team.
