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[2022 NBA Draft/1-3] Jabari Smith Jr., F, Auburn

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by J.R., Jun 23, 2022.

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Do you like the selection of Jabari Smith?

Poll closed Jun 23, 2023.
  1. YES

    89.7%
  2. NO

    10.3%
  1. dawesome

    dawesome Member

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    He looks like Otis Thorpe/Ray Allen hybrid..
     
  2. D-rock

    D-rock Member

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    Intangibles baybee!

     
  3. D-rock

    D-rock Member

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  4. Rokman

    Rokman Member

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    With as young as ALL the guys we drafted the past two years have been it would be of no surprise if any of them grew an inch or two during their first few years with the team. Could you imagine if Jabari grew to 7'0" tall? Holy S*** that would be insane.
     
  5. PatBev

    PatBev Member

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    Think about the force he’ll be wants he starts packing on muscle and that man strength starts coming in
     
  6. Rokman

    Rokman Member

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    Seeing that pic of him next to the Olajuwon mural and how much muscle Hakeem had kinda shocked me at how strong Hakeem really was. Made Jabari's age and lack of maturity stand out even more. As coachable as he is and with Hakeem there all the time and a willing teacher this kid got a golden opportunity to mold his game in ways he wouldn't have had in Orlando.
     
  7. Rokman

    Rokman Member

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    I'm really excited for the first time in years to watch the Rockets play in the upcoming season. Jalen and Jabari has a bit of a Michael and Scottie vibe to me. Then, adding in Sengun's skill and swagger, and seeing what Christopher has been improving on, man, this next year should be fun to watch!
     
  8. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    I’m really not a fan of people saying we need to tank again as if having 3 drafted stars is a requirement to win a title…it’s not

    a title can be had in multiple ways, and it ultimately requires a ton of luck

    Suns just went from no playoffs to almost winning a title in 1 year because of 1 trade, they really should’ve won it last year…and Idk wtf happened this year, but they were 1 of the favorites again this season

    Houston might not be a free agent destination like LA or Miami, but our franchise’s history has shown that if there is 1 star here, Houston is enticing enough for another one to be interested…that or we manage to trade for another one

    we have Green, and now Jabari

    I want to see some improvement this year…I want to see some competence

    go ahead and park those tanks in the driveway…if the team just sucks so bad regardless that we end up with the #1 overall pick then so be it, but F rooting for L’s
     
    Hui, ElPigto, D-rock and 13 others like this.
  9. ArtV

    ArtV Contributing Member

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    Yeah tanking is over. We will start trying to win now. How many Ws will we pick up is a guess but definitely more than last year. It will be good to see not only guys play but also see how the others players grew from last year.

    I guess I can schedule to record Rocket games again this year. I started out watching last year but it became so painful to watch it physically hurt my stomach and I had to turn it off and just read box scores.
     
  10. Rockets4Life13

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    100%

    There's always the next great thing people want to talk themselves into tho.

    Every year it's the "this year's draft is ok, next year is where it's at" talk just to repeat the same in the following year.

    If we're playing a 10 man rotation with the average age of 21 we will tank organically. That's good enough to give us a decent chance at getting another good pick. No need to compete for the worst record in the league.
     
    D-rock, Drift Monkey, JeffB and 5 others like this.
  11. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    I want to see around 27 wins, and the offense and defense ranked closer to 20th than to dead last like we’ve been the last 2 years

    no more tolerating defiance or overt acts of selfishness like leaving the arena at halftime or refusing to check in or out of the game

    some competence on offense instead of looking like the 3 stooges out there

    some competitiveness and not constantly being down 15-20 early in the game…so many times last year it was full-blown garbage time by the half

    improvement from Green, JC, and Sengun…hopeful improvement from KPJr…a talented rookie with a valuable skillset that can help day 1…there’s really no excuse for threepeating as L champions, nor do I want to see it
     
  12. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    Jabari doesn’t even need that great of a handle…he can just rise up and shoot over anyone, and with a jumper that wet, teams will have to close out on him hard

    all he needs to do is be able to get to the rim off a straight line drive and develop a few counters like a spin move or something…he doesn’t need to be out there crossing dudes up and whipping out shammgod’s

    I want to see his ability to finish at the rim really improve…that’s the main thing that stood out to me in college
     
  13. cmoak1982

    cmoak1982 Member
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    He looks closer to 6’11 when standing next to Eason
     
  14. cmoak1982

    cmoak1982 Member
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    I personally think the trio of Jalen, Jabari and Alp can be a high level team. I think all three have amazing upside, high floors and all fit well with each other. Not selfish and play smart high IQ ball. If KPJ continues to evolve along with JC and a couple others. With Eason and Garuba filling out the defense, this could be a great team in a couple years.
     
  15. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    yet it was Jabari who was the more efficient scorer
     
    D-rock and Drift Monkey like this.
  16. Rokman

    Rokman Member

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    We seem to have at least 3 foundational pieces - Green, Sengun and Jabari.

    We have 5 other question mark pieces in Tate, Porter, Christopher, Eason and Washington. Those 5 could move into the foundational pieces group or eventually become trade bait and this year will be that year to indicate that for Tate and Porter. Christopher, Eason and Washington get a few more years to develop.

    I'm not sure how I rank Martin Jr., Garuba, Mathews and Nix. I like them but they feel more like filler pieces you add to the end of your bench than potential foundational pieces. Martin I guess could have been in that question mark group trying to figure out if he's going to be a part of the long-term core but after the trade request, I pulled him out of that.

    Looking over what we have that's 12 young developing players. 12! that's an entire roster! Yeah, it's not going to be hard to be bad but they could surprise us.

    They still need to find a new home for: Gordon, Boban, Burke, Brown and Nwaba. 5 guys who won't be part of this team here very soon.

    Let's say the 2, 4 and 5 are set with Green, Jabari and Sengun, that leaves the point guard and small forward spots open to get a real contributor. I think Eason could be that 3 wing they've been looking for.

    The one spot that they need help at more than anything else at this point is Point Guard. I true point guard not a combo guard, a guy who just controls the tempo and acts like a real leader is all this team is missing from building a real competitor. In my view, everyone outside of Green Jabari, Sengun and Eason should be on the table in order to find that guy and the sooner the better! I'll say this, Porter has the talent but not the mental toughness to lead a team. Period. Period. Period. They need a real leader who is not emotionally immature.
     
    #556 Rokman, Jun 25, 2022
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2022
  17. treyk3

    treyk3 Member

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    It’s not an objective thing for me. I’m basing it purely on the talent that I saw anything else is just an open argument, you can’t deny who I think is best. Injuries derailed KD but when he was at his peak, I’d take him over anyone. It’s like saying Griffey was the greatest hitter ever. KD is a 7 foot guard with a shot that feels like it goes in every time, Jordan on paper is obviously better that doesn’t mean I can’t think KD is the guy. I wouldn’t argue that you’re wrong about Jordan.
     
    D-rock likes this.
  18. peleincubus

    peleincubus Member

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    Pretty much exactly how I feel. The rockets will have a top 10 pick next season. There are 3 guys or so that I believe may be there at guard that would be good to pair with Green. Scoot being the obvious one to bring up. If the Rockets truly think that last piece a PG and is a good leader they will have what they need to get him.

    Another possibility is someone that they think pairs perfectly at coward with Green Sengun and Jabari at forward. Someone that could shoot great and play defense I suppose would be ideal.

    It will be interesting. The 2024 season is going to crazy.
     
    cmoak1982 likes this.
  19. JayZ750

    JayZ750 Contributing Member

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    Not much but a couple snippets of better handling in this workout.



    sorry don’t know how to embed the shorts… there are lots of good shorts on YouTube though. I find YouTube much better than TikTok for sports social media short videos. Edit: googled and found out. Open the short on a url tab, changing the word shorts to watch then follow the YouTube share arrow and copy link from there (can’t just change the word shorts to arch when embedding here tried that first and it still didn’t work)

    step one on his handle for me was just to see what he has with no one else on the court. And in the few dribble drills shown there he’s got more than we’ve seen. He needs to get better and more comfortable with it.
     
    D-rock and treyk3 like this.
  20. LikeMike

    LikeMike Contributing Member

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    Others have already said it, but he really needs to workout with Hakeem. He has elite foot speed on defense but doesn’t use it on offense. I believe he can develope some post or mid range moves with the physical tools he has. If he gets that plus the handles to drive by defenders that overcommit at the 3pt line, he will have superstar potential.
     
    Shark44 and Drift Monkey like this.

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