Trend unfortunately not positive. Compared with: Trend positive. I do hope and I am confident that Jabari will eventually turn it around, though.
Short of injury affecting mechanics, players who are good at shooting don’t just forget to shoot. Bari’s issues were purely psychological and it was obvious he got over it finally to end the season.
It's pretty rare and the dude with the toothpick arms and legs is also pretty rare. Maybe if there are a lot more toothpick players you'll see more lisfranc injuries. There were 9 other dudes playing on that slippery floor they didn't get lisfranc injuries from blowbys.
It's just hard to say what his intangibles will be once he gets experience, and finds his way in the NBA. As a physical, and skill based prospect, the guy has the "upside" to be a Chris Bosh or Al Horford type of versatile big man. Even without superstar Anthony Davis type of athleticism and skills, the guy has all the tools to be one of those super valuable starting NBA centers that every team would love to have, and pay big money for. If you take his rookie stats into account though, the problem is the Rockets & Silas thought they had more Channing Frye 2.0. Because he wasn't coached to play the way you would be coached if you wanted your big man prospect to develop those intangible skills that made a Chris Bosh so valuable later in his career. Passing, switching, help d, setting picks, etc. All of those things are what makes that big man valuable more than being a superstar level dominant player. So no I don't think he has that uber athleticism that an Anthony Davis has/had, and for that, the draft boards were wrong to project him #1 most likely. However the Rockets need to look at what he could be in terms of just a really really freaking valuable big man who can do alot of things really well at 6'11" and long. If I was Rafael Stone I'd be more focused on making him really good than making him a superstar. Because as a superstar, I don't know that he has that uber athleticism that is required to get him to that level, and you are most likely setting him up for failure. This season I hope Ime reels him in from the 3 point line, and develops a damn good big man instead of trying to let him try and fail at being Kevin Durant.
Are you referring to the final 4 games? He shot 40 % from three over the final four games. Before that, it unfortunately got even worse. I do hope you are right, though!
Better than the existing defensive player of the year? That would be excellent. Imagine...if Alpi could become better than Sabonis, somewhere between Sabonis and Jokic...if Jabari could become better than JJJ...and if Jalen could become as good as Devin Booker or Ja Morant...and if Tari could become at least a poor man's Kawhi...wow.
If he's close defensively and has a nice offensive game, he's good. After 2 yrs, with growth and Udoka's coaching.... Gonna be nice.
How can Chet possibly be #3 in this list? He was injured immediately and didn't play. He begins the post with "Now that we've seen the rookies perform.." Uh no you haven't. He didn't even play. Jabari improved rather dramatically as the season progressed and Tari improved as well to a point where he was clearly among the best rookie talents.
I project KG levels of production as Bari starts putting more muscle on his frame. That turnaround jumper is nigh impossible to contest.
I predict a better albeit smaller Andrew Wiggins type future for Green as he puts own strength and is able to hold his own against other NBA guards, but is a better ISO volume scorer (basically what Wolves fans hoped Wiggins would be). He is athletic and fast enough to beat any man to his ideal scoring spots and the biggest thing holding him back is shot selection. As for Tara, I see him as a much smaller and crappier Ron Artest without the mental crazies. He is not a high BBIQ player and he plays with much more reckless abandon than I would like to see from any player. This will make him a great spark off the bench, but I can't ever see him being a starter on a contender unless he becomes a lot more disciplined and deliberate. Sengun is a tricky one. You are probably as clear as anyone on how I feel about him regarding his weaknesses and physical limitations. To start off, I don't think Sengun will ever be anywhere as good as Jokic. Jokic is a much more massive player and that will always be an advantage he has over Sengun. At the same time, the main question that needs to be answered is whether Sengun can ever shoot just as well or better than Jokic. If he doesn't learn to shoot reliably from some type of range, he will probably end up as a slightly better Sabonis IF there is a team willing to build around him. If he develops a jump shot though, I can see him as a discount Jokic.
Sounds like you think Jabari would be the best player/player to build around (barring someone better being drafted)? Also, isn't Tari 6'8 and Artest 6'7?
Not at all. Bari will never be that number option IMO that you build a team around. I simply do not see him as the team carrying, explosive volume scorer that a number 1 option should be. It's like a Curry vs Klay type of deal. Green can become that one day, but so far he is no where close. I do see Bari as that secondary star or superstar that can perfectly complement any primary superstar however, which is why I put so much value in him and prefer to keep him over anyone else if we could only keep one player from the team.
