Nearly every top pick is on a small sample size. Some of the greatest players...Lebron, Garnett, Kobe, for example, didn't even play college, so their sample size was 0. You can say this about Euro players too. NBA scouts DGAF about college, they rate players on how they project and how their skills project. Jabari was going to be a top 5 pick no matter what. Good size, pure shooting motion, agile to guard 1-5, this made him a top prospect. What shot him up to #1 projected was his 'small sample size' but all these guys that get drafted high are small sample size. That's how scouting works. You think an NBA scout never once thought "Gee, I wonder if his three point shot can extend to NBA range???"
Surreal to watch Green hit 12 points off Freethrows and only made 2 buckets the entire game. I guess it was Myles Turner time.
Me and a few others were pretty vocal about his issues back then and received hate for it. I think this whole thing is a good example of how people and even pro scouts are starting to only think in this 3&d moreyball that took over the league, not paying attention to what else a player has to bring to the court to have a high chance of succeeding and adapting to the league well. It's gotten so bad that people even talk down players that are great allround and versatile (Paolo) and to me were always with a way higher floor, instead thinking you are more likely to succeed when having only the 3&d aspects to your skillset, just because they are deemed the essence of the league nowadays.
You put Jabari around a high usage, multi faceted superstar and he will look much better. If he eventually sorts out his shooting, his defense and ability to space the floor will always be highly sought after in the league. His strengths (shooting and defense) means that he has a high floor but his weaknesses (poor handles, can't create scoring for himself or others) also means his ceiling is rather low. Some people are okay with that but the problem for me is that for pick 3, you are normally hoping for a franchise talent and Jabari just lacks the tools to be exactly that.
I think going pro instead of college has done wonders. J Green might not even be a Top 2 pick had he decided to enlist at a college. LaMelo was also a nice example. I do value the limited college education in their sole year or two years that said. (Thus College works for players that pursue an education.) As a reminder please value kids that can do it all and have an NBA ready body. I fear those specialists, tweeners, one dimensional guys, and tooth pick bodies.
I find it sad that Smith is the fifth option on the team as a 3rd pick. Hopefully he overcomes this trial of being neglected.
He just isn’t very skilled offensively or multi dimensional. I certainly got caught up in the “first pick” talk during the NCAA season… … but when Johnathan Tjarks (RIP) was saying he thought Jabari was a third pick, I listened. He was right about how he would translate and his weaknesses. I still have optimism but he’s been a major disappointment.
When you are a rookie that can't hit wide open shots, can't drive or create your own shot, it's not a stretch that you get relegated down the pecking order.
You could tell the rockets and Rafael stone didn’t do their homework on Jabari. They were completely caught off guard when Orlando took Banchero. They just took Jabari because the “draft experts” says he should’ve gone number one.
Jalen Green might have gone #1 if he went to college. The Gleague talent level is higher, Green would have looked a lot better against NCAA talent. Green is far from being a bust or whatever too, people should not be doubting this pick right now. Right now he looks a lot better than Barnes or Mobley who so far have not improved that much from their first years. In fact Barnes has regressed, so far at least. Green is averaging 21ppg on good shooting at 20 years old. The fact that some people are now down on Green after he has very clearly improved from last year is insane to me. I just don't know what people are expecting from a 2nd year player. Also, Lamelo would have probably been the #1 pick if he too went to college, the only knock on him was that he was a mystery, but like I said, NBA scouts don't put too much weight behind where a player comes from, they look at his tools and try to project those tools to the NBA. Almost all of these guys come into the NBA as specialists and one dimensional. You guys have to be a lot more patient with these players. They won't hit their stride till year 4 or 5, that's usually the case...and some of these guys (guys we're comparing them too) will never improve and just be a more refined version of what they came in as.
I mean Silas has our first option sitting on the bench the majority of the game. Wouldn't surprised me if he was dumb enough to just let Jabari Jack up shots all day long.
missed 2 open three's and traveled on a drive in the final minutes. he's got a lot of work to do next offseason
The 21 ppg look good but when you have rookie Mathurin scoring 19 ppg off the bench then it could be put into context. Looking good still. Scoring alone isn't going to be the game changer for a team like this, I said it last season and I say it this season, will say it next season.
I think you're right, but it really depends on the year. Here are a bunch of examples. I mean, sure you can find a Luka or Jayson Tatum, but you can also find a Jahlil Okafur or Otto Porter Jr. Evan Mobley and Jabari are in the wait and see mode... but probably closer to the latter half than the top half.
His defense has improved by a lot. Also, him and Mathurin are the same age. I wonder if you had a poll how many people would take Mathurin over Green, right now. Like we should not be down on Green AT ALL. He's improved, he's a 20 year old player that is already showing he can be a good scorer.
This is why we also don't judge draft classes until 3-5 years have passed. There are tons of guys too that start strong then fall off, if you look at ROY awards you'll see a bunch of guys that have won and went on to have very mediocre careers. How many people want MCW? Emeka Okafor? Ben Simmons? Not everyone is on the same trajectory. As I'll continue to say, we didn't draft Jabari to be good this year, we drafted him to be great in 2025, 2026, and on. I know people don't have the patience to wait that long but that's the truth of it. If he turns out to be great before that? Great!
