All this is true but he has never shown an advanced dribble game it was talked about before he got to Auburn. My point being he is not a true franchise guy without an advanced dribble game it's too easy to take him out of the offense. Name 1 franchise-type guy in the NBA who does not have an advanced dribble game? Dribbling is not something you just pick up either you have it at this point or you don't.
having an advanced dribble game at 18 years old isn't that big of a deal. Not true at all. Dribbling in the modern era is a huge skill guys are able to work on now and dramatically improve on. Guys across the league like DD, Tatum, Jaylen Brown have all made leaps in ball handling. It's not even close to a you either have or you don't. Especially not some 18 year kid. having things to work on is the very reason hes an elite prospect coupled with what he can already do now
It is a big deal its not something you develop over time. I am not saying you can't improve but he minimal off the dribble game and it was commented on when he was in high school. Yes you either have it or you don't and that's going by the history of the NBA. DD, Tatum and Jaylen all had better handles than Smith. We are talking about an 18-year-old kid whose NBA dad has been working with him since he started playing basketball,, we are not talking about the average 18-year-old.
nah it isn't. No idea who gave you the idea that ball handling isn't something you can work on. but it definitely is. NO it isn't you either have it or you don't. 100% false All of those guys came into the league with mediocre handle period. So what if his dad played in the league. He was a big man and barely played. just bc his dad played in the leagues doesn't change the fact that he's 18. is there some kind of special power out there or something that says he's not a kid?
Dude I posted it in this very thread and it's going by the history of the NBA. Smith does not even have a mediocre handle it's nonexistent. Anyway, I am done with this I have actually done some research and you just want to wish it into existence. I have no idea what you think me saying he is not a kid has to do with anything, yes he is a kid, a kid who does not like to dribble at all.
You should be done. You just posted a bunch of nonsense about an 18 year old kid who clearly has a huge ceiling who can go#1 in a draft, acting as if something like ball handling is something you either have or you don't at that age. Yeah just stop it. He literally is arguably that elite of a prospect who can't dribble at all. Let that sink in with how that sounds.
100% agree that ball-handling is a skill that can be worked on. anybody who plays ball seriously knows this. things like vision, instincts, effort... those are the traits that can't be taught. you either have it or you don't. tatum, like you mentioned, had pretty crap handles entering the league but look at him now. steph curry actually had below average handles coming into the league but consistently improved year by year to become elite. only a few players actually enter the league with elite handles, cp3 being one of them. shooting is another skill that can be worked on but is much harder to get consistency, which is why there is such a huge separation between elite shooters and average shooters. you really need to have that shooter's touch and confidence.
Seth Curry is also another recent example. He was a catch and shoot player. Definitely wasn't a hall handler at duke. His ball handling has significantly improved and its well documented he specially has worked on that
It's asinine to suggest you can't improve ball handling, but it has made me think about Jabari not being the top pick. There's no rush to crown anyone the "best prospect" at this point, lets see how the tournament plays out.
Though I'm still leaning Chet, having Jabari next to Green would be a lethal offensive combo. Schroeder/Green/????/Smith/Sengun. Want to put Tate in there but can't have two non 3 pt shooters.
Ball handling can be improved. Jalen alone has improved on that part of his game during the season and he will continue to do so this off season
I agree. To me it is by far the most concerning aspect of his game. If you go back and watch his HS highlights, even then he's mostly taking catch and shoot or one/two dribble pullups. He hasn't shown enough flashes of being a capable ballhandler to convince me that he can develop into one. Pair that with his poor passing/playmaking and you basically have a 6'10 Klay/Middleton. Some may be okay with that but I just don't think that's worth a #1 or 2 pick. Also, most of the examples given of guys who have improved their dribble were already average to above avg ballhandlers. Their improvement came from basically tightening up their handle, the dribble moves were already there for the most part. With Smith, you rarely see him put moves together to get his shots. I think his game will translate just fine with his ability to shoot and the versatility he brings defensively but I can't help but think his offensive ceiling is much lower compared to Chet, Paolo, or even Jaden and AJ.
https://www.si.com/nba/2022/03/16/n...cts-chet-holmgren-paolo-banchero-jabari-smith Naturally, the 6'10" freshman is a must-watch, particularly for NBA fans tuning in to college basketball for the first time this season. He’s a potentially transcendent jump shooter with a strong fundamental game, untapped physical upside, and a sense of urgency on both ends of the floor. It’s not often you see all those traits in combination, and Smith couples that with strong intangibles—he values his teammates and understands how to score without being selfish. On top of all that, he won’t turn 19 for a couple more months. Smith seems sure to have his moments this month, but how long Auburn survives in the bracket, even as a No. 2 seed, will hinge heavily on how well his guards perform. Wendell Green is the Tigers’ most talented guard, but can be streaky and shot-happy. It’s never exactly clear what they’re going to get from K.D. Johnson, other than the fact he plays extremely hard. Smith and projected first-rounder Walker Kessler, the nation’s top shot-blocker, give Auburn a ton of size and defensive backbone, which can cover for quite a bit against inferior opponents. But there are no easy games in the NCAA tournament, and the Tigers are going to have to find ways to get the ball to their best player when it matters. Matchup-wise, there are several potentially interesting individual draws for Smith: facing USC in the second round would pit him against Isaiah Mobley, the older brother of Cavs rookie Evan Mobley who has the length and experience to match up with him. Auburn could potentially rematch with LSU in the Sweet 16, which has another projected first-rounder in forward Tari Eason. And if Iowa can pull some upsets and make it to the Elite Eight as a five-seed, we could get Smith against potential top-five pick Keegan Murray. (P.S. — watch Iowa too). All of these would be interesting tests for Smith, who isn’t a dynamic ball-handler but understands how to keep things simple and shoot over most opponents. At this point, he’s proven enough that his stock shouldn’t shift. But he’ll deserve the spotlight for as long as Auburn can hang around.
I never said you cannot improve ball handling so I don't know where that is coming from but the fact that he has not improved ball-handling and seems to be adverse at it makes me think he will never be a plus ball-handler and thereby lowers his ceiling. The fact that we are even discussing this at this point shows it is a huge hindrance to his game.
Steph Curry had below average handles wut? Few players enter the league with elite handles? Kyrie Morant Lebron Luka Harden PG Cade Just on the rockets alone, Green, Tate and KPJ have better than average dribbling skills. That's just off the top of my head And we are not even talking about elite handles or good handles we are talking about a guy who hopes to get to average, the fact that he has had these issues throughout HS tells me a lot
I agree with most of this except if had the handles of Klay or Middleton he would be the clear-cut favorite both of those guys have good to very good handles.
no steph did not enter the league with good handles. watched almost all those gsw games before they turned into the conceited assholes they are and steph struggled with on ball pressure.. he did have good court vision though. i'll give you kyrie but to say paul george had elite handles?? lmao... you really don't watch the games do you? every other player you mentioned other than cade worked on their handles year after year to get to where they are. there's no reason to not believe jabari smith can't do the same. to think you can't practice ball-handling and get better at it... something tells me you've never actually played ball...
why are people even arguing about jabari's handles? the guy has an unguardable shot that he can get off any time he wants... and it's not like he's a total stiff. he still has a nice pull up game and has a nice first step. the guy just plays a lot more efficiently without any wasted movement or dribbling bc he doesn't need to in order to get to his shot.. why is that something that should be penalized? and on top of that, it's not like he's the lead guard or playmaker... in college, with the lack of spacing and being more of a team oriented game compared to the nba, even if you have nice handles, you rarely get the chance to show off. vince carter showed way more game when he got to the league than when he was at unc. watching jabari smith, i don't see any reason as to why he can't improve his handle to the point that in a few years he can pull off a few advanced dribble moves. and he's still elite without it bc of his jump shot and defense.
