https://www.si.com/nba/draft/newsfeed/jabari-smith-jr-is-struggling-due-to-predictable-offense Good article, yet i agree he just not found his shot yet in the nba, and he has the range, but when he finds it watch out, cause i bet he could pretty well be a good player fast. Already a 10-6 guy, and could that double in 2 years to a 20-10 guy quickly, who knows. Wait till he gets Angry Mouses stats(shots).
Rookie of the Week: Jabari Smith Jr., PF, Houston (Note: This section won’t necessarily profile the best prospect of the week. Just the one I’ve been watching.) I’ve now seen Smith play twice in person at the NBA level, once in Atlanta and once in L.A. against the Clippers, and I have to say … it hasn’t quite translated as neatly or smoothly as I expected. Like a lot of people, I had Smith as the top player on my draft board, and that no longer looks like a defensible position. This is a marathon and not a sprint, but there’s no question Paolo Banchero has left him in the dust at the starting line. First, let’s start with the positives. Smith’s shooting release remains enviable and combined with his size, it makes him a huge threatening catch-and-shoot weapon. Smith has only made 30.4 percent of his 3s thus far, but anyone watching his flawless deliveries in pre-game work thinks he can get to the 40 percent range without too much difficulty. NBA range is not a problem for him as well. Supporting that idea, Smith also has made 16 of 18 from the line. As a catch-and-shoot weapon, Smith would also benefit from playing with somebody who passed. The only real point guard he gets court time with is during his pre-game workout with 69-year-old assistant coach John Lucas, and it often feels like Houston’s helter-skelter style leaves him a bystander. Of greater concern is the other stuff. The 3s can be blamed on early-season variance and some other things, but Smith is shooting 30.6 percent on 2s. What?! He also has seven assists all season. Did we get so hung up on the switchable 3-and-D package that we left the basketballing stuff in the rearview mirror? In particular, there is no shot-creation skill here at all, and until or unless that develops, Smith’s ceiling is as a high-level role player. Smith’s rare off-the-dribble efforts are labored one- or two-dribble forays into a contested pull-up (it’s guaranteed to be contested because he isn’t getting any separation). While he has the length to get the shot away, the lower-body strength isn’t there yet to keep his balance a lot of the time; even if it were, it’s just a bad shot most of the time. Because Smith is 6 foot 10 and can jump, you’d also like to see him get something going around the basket, even if it’s on cuts or offensive boards. That just doesn’t happen: Smith only has one dunk in 276 minutes and has only attempted nine shots in the basket area. Defensively it’s a similar story. Smith presents as a switchable four who can guard down and contest perimeter shots, but his defensive instincts don’t seem great (just two steals), and the attempts to play him as a small-ball five haven’t gone well from a physicality standpoint. On the flip side, he’s 19 and has played nine NBA games. His 6.5 PER isn’t a gangbusters start, but he has some clear impediments between the team he’s on and his physical inability (for the moment) to play the five. It’s important not to overreact. However, it’s fair at this point to register at least a note of concern that maybe this isn’t trending the way many thought or hoped.
It's hilarious that nobody thought not being able to dribble wasn't going to be a problem. Having no steals defensively is extremely surprising. Him struggling offensively on any team able to draft him should have been obvious to people getting paid to do this.
Banchero is a big and I think the bust rate as a big is greater than with those guards you mentioned but Paolo seems to be the total package. Barring injuries, Primo like exposure or Bridges like violence.
I don't think Wingspan replaces height, because what really matters a lot of times is standing reach and center of gravity. Doesn't really matter how long your arms are, it makes a difference whether you are 6'11 vs 6'7 in height. From what I have seen Jabari actually does a decent job guarding wings and guards. I actually think he struggles more with guarding actual bigs who can physically dominate him, and he's a bit soft when it comes to holding his ground.
Jabari always had a great role player ceiling so not sure what has changed. If we wanted potential star, then we could’ve gone for Murray, Mathurin or Ivey. But we already have Jalen so it’s all good.
Yea…he looks like a bust as of now. There have been zero positive signs. It’s one thing to start slow but show flashes, even Jalen did that. But this is next level. He looks like he does not belong.
The fact that some (“experts”) had Jabari as the top rated prospect is a complete joke. You can watch basketball for the first time for 5 minutes and see Paolo was and is still the best prospect in this draft - and will be rookie of the year. who has the better career is still TBD. What could have been…Magic got it right; we were unlucky.
They aren't going to run any plays for him until later in the season Not sure if you watched last year, but Green was just out on the court hanging out until the back end of the year. It appears as if they want the top picks to just get comfortable in the flow of the offense before they find them a few plays
I'm still not concerned about him. I think he needs some confidence. He should be a good 3pt shooter and defender sooner rather than later and that's already one of the most valuable players at that size
Yeah man I know exactly what you mean. Smith is certainly someone who needs plays run for him early on. Get some rhythm and confidence
