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

Agreed.

It isn't Michael Jordan or LeBron James, but it is a very good player and a player that can fit with a lot of different players around them.

 

It happens every year and it is consistent across "experts" so I have concluded that it must be human nature.

 

There were plenty of Banchero is top of the Big Boards, Jabari Top of Mock Drafts 2 weeks ago. Jabari basically only became solidified on top of mock drafts based on information from the Magic (either from them directly or what they told Jabari's camp). If it wasn't for information from teams, the takes supporting Banchero would likely have been more prominent.

 

Still had better FT rate and FT% than Paolo.

And that's the bottom line.

Jabari is better at drawing fouls than Banchero.

Even with the huge physical disparity and all Jabari's skill limitations.

Makes you realize that Rockets dodged a bullet.

 

I’m liking the LMA and Dirk comps a lot. I think Smith is more athletic but his reliance on the jumper reminds me a great deal of them. Jabari is way better defensively as well.

As others have said if you watch his game tape there are plenty of dribble drives. Maybe without the counters you would like to see but he can get to the rim.

He may end up as a Rashard Lewis third banana but should be a fun season giving him plenty of opportunities to show his stuff.

 

LMA just could not miss that game.

No one cared about his ball handling or driving ability.

Playmaking is important but not more important than scoring.

Or defense.

And that's the bottom line, putting ball in the hoop AND stopping other team from putting ball in hoop.

 

I had Jabari as the 3-4th best prospect in this draft but the difference between the top 4 in this draft is very small, especially the difference between 2-4. They are so close that if you had 10 team picking first, you would have had 3-4 different players going first. This is a rare draft in that regard.

As for Smith, and really any of these players - I hear a lot of discussion about "ceiling" and while that is something to consider, people need to keep in mind how likely a particular player is to reach their perceived ceiling. Further, a lot of time scouts and fans are wrong on a players ceiling.

Chris Paul went #4, behind Bogut and Marvin Williams and Deron Williams because his ceiling was viewed as limited. He was viewed as too small and not a good enough scorer, where as Marvin Williams was viewed as wing with elite upside. James Harden didn't go #1 and was taken after Thabeet and Griffin because he wasn't supposed to be a good enough athlete. Steph Curry didn't go at the top of the draft because of his size, questionable passing and defense. Yet these guys FAR exceeded the supposed ceiling placed on them.

So when fans want to take into account the ceiling for players, they need to keep in mind that the game changes, circumstances changes and some of these guys are just special. So when I look at Jabari Smith, I am not so concerned about his ceiling because he has the size and ability to develop a really high ceiling for himself.

With Jabari, fans need to remember that he just turned 19 years old. He was very young for his graduating class and easily could have just graduated from high school. He is a whole year younger than Holmgren, half a year younger than Banchero and is the same age as Sharpe. Smith is going to be very raw, especially for a man that has not really filled out yet. 6 months to a year makes a difference with teenagers.

 

People really arguing that spacing not an issue at Auburn.

Or paint not packed.



Count the number of opposing players in paint on any play.

If 2 or more then spacing is horrific.

 

Seth Greenberg also called Jabari a culture changer.

Having that team outlook where winning is everything and will sacrifice individual stats to accomplish goal is immeasurable.

Bari is just a dog, not enough high influence players like that on team.

 

I was 5 foot 11 - 115/120 when I started college at 18, I was 6 foot 1 - 160/165 when I left at 22. That's without a professional regimen. I'm proof that you aren't necessarily done growing at 18. I have a pretty skinny frame with wide shoulders and T-Mac Legs but even I was was able to put on 45 clean pounds in 4 years by just eating a ton and lifting weights 3 - 4 times a week.

 

According to the people around the Auburn program, Jabari is a very serious and disciplined person. He also is very loyal. He wanted the Rockets to draft Kessler and was asking for updates on whether Kessler had been drafted.

 

https://theathletic.com/3383768/202...ri-smith-john-wall/?source=emp_shared_article

 

https://theathletic.com/3383768/202...ri-smith-john-wall/?source=emp_shared_article

According to Kelly Iko, Jabari Smith was number 1 on the Rockets draft board.

 

Definitely agree with this. I do think the NBA really punishes being an okay team such that it is almost better for bad teams to whiff on prospects than get decent to good players. Guys that would likely help a team win in the regular season, but don't fit how teams are playing in the playoffs are automatically low ceiling, unscalable players.

 

My point was that KD already was one of the college players with the most complete arsenal on offense, you can see it on tape and scouts mentioned it too.

There's a drastic difference between someone like KD or Harden having one weakness out of college but already showing a magnitude of ways to score, and then Jabari who's whole offense so far has been contested jumpers and 1-2 drives per game.

Not at all saying this means he won't be good from the start or that being a world-class player at contested jumpshots won't make him highly effective, but the comparisons to KD, Aldridge, Harden etc are extremey off when it comes to number of weaknesses and repertoire out of college.

 

I agree with you though. My point was that even the greatest players have weaknesses. Again, I'm not saying Jabari will be on their level, and not comparing his game to the best players in the league. In response to another poster, I'm merely saying that all players have weaknesses entering the draft and he'll work on what he needs to work on. Is his overall offensive game on par with Durant (when he first entered the league)? Hell no. Is it possible Jabari will be able to handle the ball as well as Durant in the future? Hell yea. Durant isn't an elite ball handler. As long he works hard at it, he can get there.

Jabari kept doing what he did great. Shot the ball great and played great defense. That got him in the discussions to be the number 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. He's young and has plenty of time to develop other parts of his game. Let's not forget Jabari hit a lot of those contested jump shots and didn't need to risk injury by driving more than 1-2 times per game. The goal was to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft, and he accomplished that. Now he'll be working with coaches on the highest level who will help develop more of his game.

I would never compare him to Aldridge because they're different players. Not many 6'11 guys can shoot from anywhere and guard every position. Aldridge definitely couldn't. Jabari's defensive capabilities will help create offense. This is what sets him apart from all the other players who were drafted after him, not just his shooting. I personally believe he has the potential to be a much better overall player than Aldridge was. I don't want to keep going back and forth about this though because you're right and I'm not comparing his game to those mentioned.

 

TLDR version: Jabari's ceiling is through the roof.

 

Since we drafted Jabari I’ve gone back and watched a lot of full Auburn games. He gets fouled quite a bit as a jump shooter and people putting their feet in his space. It’s really not that black a white. It’s also a little premature to say any team dodged a bullet before the season, let alone summer league actually starts.