I do feel like Banchero has shown high levels of play making for his position that Jabari has not. My opinion they are different players, but theoretically Jabari was suppose to have a higher floor.
This is a Harden versus Klay convo again. Paolo is likely a flawed Number 1 and Bari a decent number 2. Both are not really comparable because they have different tasks to perform on winning teams hopefully. Chet is also in the conversation eventually. One thing can be agreed upon, it is hella early.
The reality is that we are talking about a small sample size all the way around, and a couple of kids that are 20 years old. Jabari is 6 months, younger, does that even matter? Maybe when talking about sample size. A team really gets one "HUB", is Banchero good enough at being a playmaker to be the primary playmaker on an elite team? I am not so sure about that. It is possible, but he wasn't as a rookie. He had a little under 4 assists and almost three turnovers. Most HUBS are guards or an over grown guard that plays the wing like LeBron. There are a few like Jokic, but no one else passes like he does at that spot. So I think that Paolo is likely a secondary playmaker, and more of a scorer than anything else. He can obviously do more than just score, he can pass and is a developing rebounder. The question with him is how efficient he will be. Will he be a 38-40% three point shooter? Jabari Smith is unlikely to ever be a playmaker or a high volume scorer. He will likely be a better defender and long range shooter though, and will be easier to fit with other players.
The reality is that we are talking about a small sample size all the way around, and a couple of kids that are 20 years old. Jabari is 6 months, younger, does that even matter? Maybe when talking about sample size. A team really gets one "HUB", is Banchero good enough at being a playmaker to be the primary playmaker on an elite team? I am not so sure about that. It is possible, but he wasn't as a rookie. He had a little under 4 assists and almost three turnovers. Most HUBS are guards or an over grown guard that plays the wing like LeBron. There are a few like Jokic, but no one else passes like he does at that spot. So I think that Paolo is likely a secondary playmaker, and more of a scorer than anything else. He can obviously do more than just score, he can pass and is a developing rebounder. The question with him is how efficient he will be. Will he be a 38-40% three point shooter? Jabari Smith is unlikely to ever be a playmaker or a high volume scorer. He will likely be a better defender and long range shooter though, and will be easier to fit with other players.
Banchero is a better playmaker than Smith - I don't think that is even debatable. However, I don't think he is good enough to be a primary playmaker, so that limits the effectiveness somewhat. If you put a gun to my head I would take Banchero, but I don't think he was as great last year as some think. He has a lot of warts.
So on the one hand its too soon to claim small sample size for either guy even when one had a full 82 games of proven play, but you're still not sure if Paolo will be able to play the role he's always played for his teams and be efficient at it? Its a curious angle. I get it that you may have been higher on Jabari or even Jaden Ivey, but I think its a stretch to diminish the unanimous ROY and expect him to regress while the other guys improve. Fact of the matter is that for the season at large Paolo was a better shooter than the guy who was supposed to be the best shooter in the draft. Paolo has similar defensive numbers than the guy who was supposed to be a day 1 stopper. Paolo generates more fouls and assists. They really are totally different players - Jabari a high performing role player at his best and Paolo a #1 option with a much higher ceiling than Jabari. For the record I think if Jabari returns to form as a shooter and has the right mix of supporting players around him he will be really, REALLY good.
Jabari has the excuse of not playing in a real system. For a guy who is not a creator, that's important. Shooting and defense were the two things advertised as his meal ticket. His shooting was disappointing, but had flashes of improvement toward the end. I am optimistic that his shot will be fixed. His defense was also somewhat disappointing, but again can be at least partially blamed on coaching. He has the motivation and the tools to be a very good defender. His handle was actually better than expected. He doesn't look like he can be a facilitator type guy, but that's okay. He has shown that he has the tools to get his own shots off without having to be spoon fed. That's important if he is going to be a high level scorer. All in all, his floor is still there. He just went into the wrong building and ended up in the basement.
Banchero would have altered the Rox fortunes last season. He is the perfect fit for our roster as the offensive hub and he fit the offensive style of Silas which is give the ball to one dude and watch him cook similar to Luka in Dallas. With him doing the play making Jalen would eb secondary playmaker and Head Honcho would be 3nD/Beverly clone at pg which he thrives in. With 3 guys able to make plays and 2 guys gifted playmaker I'm sure offense would be much better. Of course downside is we would have won more games and Silas would still be HCdo it might be for the best.
"Italian basketball federation head calls Paolo Banchero’s Team USA move a “mockery”" Paolo is from Seattle last I checked.
I don't get how the "lack of a system" held him back - the system worked for him - the guy had a TON of open shots, especially early in the season. An open shot is an open shot. He's not a "shoot off movement" guy. He was given clean catch & shoots, the way he got in college. I remember looking this up and via the eye test - In the first half of the year, he was the leading 3 point attempter on the team and the vast majority of those were open/wide open with time on the clock. He just missed. Also remember, he's supposed to be the type of guy who can fit any system - 3&D means hit the 3's. TO the extent a system has to accomodate him, I guess since he got better at finishing at the end of the year so you could use him as a roll man, but if he can't provide spacing outside than the whole idea of him doesn't really work.
A big part of shooting is mental and another big part is rhythm. Not having a stable system may negatively affect a player's shooting confidence, especially for a rookie who is adjusting to the NBA game. Some players don't get bother by it. Some do. I just don't think you can totally dismiss coaching as a factor for his shooting struggle. It may or may not be the main reason for his struggle. But it is not just an "excuse" totally devoid of merit. There is clear data that shows that Smith shoots much better on the move than spotting up. It matches the eye test. His pull up jumper is smoother than c&s. I didn't follow him a lot in college. From most of the highlight clips I saw, a lot of his shots were off the dribbles. So I don't know how true it is that catch and shoot is "the way he got in college." Also, I keep bring this question to those who say he's a bust because he doesn't fulfill his promise as a knock down shooter: As a good shooter all his life, what made him suddenly forget how to make an open shot?
OK, well maybe your impression was different than mine, but pretty much everything I recall reading about Smith had him as an elite spot up shooter around the perimeter, I thought that was the whole point of him. i did not know there was a "he can't shoot while stationary, he has to be dribbling" caveat to that statement - I think that makes him a lot less valuable a player in hindsight if it's true. He spotted up at volume and did not knock them down (he also had a very slow release compared to what we were sold - the scouting reports said quick but it did not look quick by NBA standards) - that's just what happened. I'd say you can reasonably assign some of his defensive lapses to the overall crapness of the Rockets on defense, but missing open shots is just missing open shots. Like early in the year, he missed open layups and tipins, and then late in the year, he started making them and raised his at-rim % from sub Tari Eason level to league average or better. I don't think it was coaching brilliance that raised him up, he just started making shots. The same didn't really happen much from outside the perimeter (if anything he shot even less frequently). BTW I did not say he's a bust, but the whole #1 overall pick quality player thing - that seems like something that is just totally off base at this point. (hope i'm wrong)
I think it's pretty obvious Paolo wants to come to Houston when he's a Free Agent. Rockets going to team him up with the rest of our young core in a few years. How do I know this? Let's just say I made it up.
He was not all that great. I’ve posted it many times. Jabari had better stats in almost every category and that was with a horrible 1st half. Banchero was the other way around. He got worse as the season went on. I don’t think either one will be a superstar, but think both will be great contributors on their respective teams. Jabari will eventually be on the all defensive team, Banchero will not.
The different between the rookie years of Paolo and Jabari is that Paolo played like he was advertised both his strengths and his weaknesses. He was expected to be good at playmaking, ball handling, and self creating, and bad at shooting and defense. That's exactly what he showed last season. Jabari was the exactly opposite. He surprised both at his strengths and his weaknesses. He was supposed to be good at defense and shooting, and bad at ball handling and finishing at the rim. Last season, he was bad at shooting and mediocre at defense, but his handles and finishing were much better than expected. This is why I think Jabari has better likelihood of getting much better. Good shooters don't just forget how to shoot. He just needs to fix the mental block. He has the motivation, physical tools, and the mindset to play great defense. He just needs better coaching and better defensive team. It's harder to improve on your weaknesses than fixing your strengths. He has been achieving the hard part. Paolo on the other hand is still weak at his weaknesses. It's easier to improve on your strengths than on your weaknesses.
They are both 20 years old or Banchero might be 21......talking about that is too early. You are possibly looking at a bona fide 15-17 year career from both of them. Paolo is in a situation where he is not asked to play good Defense and can roam around for a reason. I think Jabari is going to be a good 2 way player but very likely has to work his way up to 2nd option to keep up his shot attempts. Jabari might turn out better but I think the Rockets overall are not in the East and will have a harder time than the Magic. Paolo is more of a Sports Center highlight reel player while Jabari seems to be the generic good stats player but not flashy. Just those 2 cents.
