Outside of the Reed one, the rest of those literally turn all of those players into Top 10 players lol.
I think he has them in the right order. Assuming decent volume this makes Sengun a superstar. Amen wouldn't be too far behind. Reed becoming an average defender is meh, would be a nice development. And then Jabari developing a handle changes very little for him. I don't think that's really holding back any part of his game.
How so? I don't see it at all. He has zero court vision, so it's not like he'd turn into an assist guy. So basically all it would help him do is what, create his own shot better? And league average is...not that great? It's only average. Maybe if he had like a Kyrie Irving handle then you could sell me on him becoming a big time scorer. But just with a league average handle I don't really see it, I don't really get what that would do for him. Even if he had a crazy handle, he's not super quick. He doesn't have an explosive first step, so it's not like the handle would let him get by his man or get to the rim much better. Can you explain why you think this? I am really curious what you're envisioning Jabari doing on offense if he had a league average handle. I really don't see it at all.
He's become pretty "automatic" on shorter midrange shots, so if he could get open on those significantly more often he'd probably raise his scoring significantly. That said, it's true that I don't know if just having average handles gets him there. Maybe if he had top 25% handles or so
Yeah I feel like you'd have to give Jabari some combination of an elite handle, a quick first step, more explosive athleticism, more leaping ability, better footwork...he would need a lot to actually be a top 10 player.
Physically, Jabari's capabilities are not that different from the current, age 37 version of KD (not the younger 20-something version), who is still a borderline top 10 guy. The main difference right now is KD is vastly more skilled with his ballhandling, footwork, and jump shooting. It's hard to see Jabari ever reaching that skill level, unfortunately. Maybe he can get around halfway there if he keeps working, and become something like a 20 and 8 guy.
Super role player and good starter are Bari's ceiling imo, which is great. Most teams would start Bari in the NBA. KD is one of a kind.
If Jabari had a Kyrie like handle he'd be a Top 50 player all time lol. You really underestimate how rare Jabari's shot package is. His fatal flaw is his dribble. He averages 2 assists per game which would be up significantly more if he could break down defenders (at least at Durant level). Do you like....watch Jabari play? Like how can you say he has zero court vision when he makes the right play or right pass more often than not. Do you think Durant has a league average handle? What do you think a league average handle looks like? Jabari is up to 16 PPG on 38% from 3 and this is the first year he's able to actually dribble. Some people on this board love hating this dude and I cant seem to understand why. Its so weird.
I've watched every game of Jabaris career, so yeah, I watch him play. I think Durants handle is way above league average, like...maybe top 10%? Somewhere around there? Top 15%? But if you want to compare Durant with Jabari, I think it's more than just the handle, I think Durant has a great handle combined with elite footwork. I think that combination is a lot of what makes Durant so great. Idk man, I wasn't trying to hate at all. I don't think I'm being a hater here, I'm definitely not a Jabari hater, I just don't see it, which is why I asked you to describe it to me. Can you explain the things you think he would be able to do if he had an average handle? We agree he still isn't fast enough to blow by defenders, right? And he's not really a guy known for his smooth footwork, so it's not like crazy dribbling would unlock a stepback for him, right? So what would it do? I promise you I'm not trying to hate or insult the guy, I like him, I think he's a great roleplayer, but I don't personally have the vision to see how it would elevate his game.
Do you think Durant is much more explosive than him? Jabari is probably more athletic than KD is. Yes KD has amazing foot work (and just amazing technique in general). Jabari has improved a lot at so many things including his handle but its still very much his weak point. More than anything else and the lack of confidence he has in it trickles down to the rest of his game. I think he'd be a much better playmaker if his handle was just like...Brandon Ingram level. That was the one thing with him that was such a bummer was just how raw he was when he showed up. He looked so much more ready to contribute coming out of Auburn and his 4th year feels like how I think his second year should've. But he was also really young and still is really young. My bottom line with Jabari is that he's still 6-11, great overall team defender (lacking a bit vs smaller quicker players) and can shoot from anywhere on the court. There are a handful of guys like that in the world and two of them currently play for the Rockets. The other plays for the Spurs and the 4th one plays for the Thunder. I cant think of anyone else honestly with that skillset. Brandon Miller comes close but he's a tick smaller and gets him into that Trey Murphy/Ingram category which is still really good but not like....unstoppable like the others. Jabari with a league average handle to me would immediately be an All Star and one of the immediate best two way players in the league. The biggest issue with the Rockets rebuild has been the fact that every player drafted had some massive wart to deal with. If Reed was 6-6 same thing. Amen being a good shooter. Sengun being a good shooter or being 7-1. Is what it is.
Jabari has many flaws, an average handle would just make him a player you would be less terrified when he is dribbling the ball. He is simply not fluid in anyway physically and handles won’t solve that. He is also not a player that anticipates plays, doesn’t flash me with above average basketball iq either. He mostly can focus on one thing. as others described he is a candidate for a super role player. Still it is a huge downside not to move well on or off ball in today’s game. This is more highlighted with the current roster. He would look much better on offense with practically any other team. I would be very surprised pleasantly if he adds a creative dimension to his game.
Contender? Meaning top-10? Maybe. But he has no shot at it unless he's going to be averaging 25+ ppg, and with Jokic, Luka, Giannis, etc., in the league, that may need to be pushing close to 30 ppg. Not to mention he's got KD and Sengun on the same team to contend with. As long as KD and Sengun continue to play as they do, they'll be the MVP candidates for this team. They would have to become options 2 & 3 or something for Amen to become a top-10 contender. Or at least one would have to move down the pecking order.
I would think having an average 3 pointer would cuse him to shoot as many 3s at jabari have more usage pissessions and assists and move him to number 1 option and up his pt average.
I think the idea is if he has any kind of a shot where a defender can't sag off of him 8 ft, then he will be impossible to guard because he is too fast/long to keep up with on the perimeter if you can't 'cheat'. The only reason he doesn't get to the hoop more today is because defenders just back up towards the hoop knowing forcing him into any kind of pull up shot is a bad shot.
