If Sengun and Amen can hit open 3s, a group of FVV / Green / Brooks / Thompson / Sengun could work really well.
BS. Jabari had 10 rebounds and 5 assists and played better defense. The only thing that brooks is doing better is hitting threes. That will even out just like last year.
And in the prior two games, he averaged 3 rebounds and 1 assist. He grabbed a bunch of rebounds this game in the 4th against scrubs. Brooks, on the other hand, has been far more efficient.
He's looking more like a Ariza type ceiling than anything else. Some people are just awkward and stiff on offense no matter how hard they train. He moves like when we let Ariza create his own shot in 2010.
Both were better than brooks last season, this season hasn't started so there's no data yet but if either of them are worse then brooks then it's time to dump them
He played well this last preseason game, looks like he's setting up his defender with moves quickly, few dribbles, and not hesitating to execute and make the play in the flow of the offense. Let's see how things go in the real games and as an overall trend before the all-star break.
Right now Jalen is just playing the game with the correct pace. It appears the game has slowed down for him a good bit so far this year. No more rushing into decisions or making fast and sometimes incorrect reads trying to just go fast all the time. Hes playing slow and methodical and exhibiting what he learned with weaving behind the screener on PnR to create space very well. Even on his misses its been an abundance of correct reads. He is getting into the freethrow middie when thats what the defense gives him. Hes pulling up from 3 slower and smoother when thats what the defense gives him, make or miss its more in rhythm. Hes not getting a lot of lanes to the rim yet with everyone still sagging off him heavily, but he is attacking the rim very nicely when ignoring the screen and going the weakside. Most rim looks are coming from him using his burst when his defender oversteps and gets ever so slightly out of position. Looks great to me so far this preseason, and tbf I have missed the 1st quarter of all 3 games.
That's kind of how I always saw him.... though i was hoping it would be more like a better Ariza. I never saw him as even a potential max type player, but he just can't go 0-5 from 3 and 4-13 overall from the field without making people start to question if maybe Amen should get those minutes instead. If Tari comes back playing well, it'll make Smith's position even less secure. He needs to step it up if he wants job security
In the three preseason games. Brooks shot lights out at the beginning of last season and we all thought he was going to be a stud. Then he came back down on earth and he was what he was. By the end of last season, I'd say Brooks and Jabari were about even overall. Brooks is slightly better on defense and slightly worse on offense. But age is a huge factor in term of projection.
his three ball form looks improved. seems like hes releasing it a bit higher from a more established base. looks like it kinda ****ed up his mid-range form though but i'd 10000% sacrifice middy jumpers for 2-5% increase on the 3 ball. it's so much more important for his game. Jalen's speed with some added strength is going to be absolutely devastating for every young defender entering the league for the next 3 years.
Jabari doesn't have a cult of morons so no one is going to cry themselves to sleep over a bit of valid light criticism.
Dillon is a vet therefore he beings some consistency but he is also a hot head and the least talented.
What I noticed different about Jalen's game last night was his slow pace, reading the defense when he had the ball with a defender in front of him, even holding the ball before dribbling. Once he started dribbling, he was able change speed and direction to beat the defense to the rim. That was something critical, which was missing in his game before. Another thing I noticed, they, including Jalen, were executing what they were practicing as a group couple of days ago mentored by Stevens and FVV
