Jabari Smith Jr. - Auburn

[clyde21]

Is Jabari the 5th most valuable prospect on his own team? Amen, Sengun, Whitmore, Green and him. Maybe 4th best?

hilariously bad take

So no chance that Amen or Whitmore are better players in 2 years? That is what you are saying by calling this such a hilarious bad take.

very little

and your post is a hilariously bad take because it was a leading question and you know it. what evidence do you have today exactly that Cam or Amen or Green are more valuable prospects than Smith exactly?

[HadAnEffectHere]

hilariously bad take

So no chance that Amen or Whitmore are better players in 2 years? That is what you are saying by calling this such a hilarious bad take.

very little

and your post is a hilariously bad take because it was a leading question and you know it. what evidence do you have today exactly that Cam or Amen or Green are more valuable prospects than Smith exactly?

Whitmore is athletic and has some creation upside.

0.7 BPG and .212 FTr screams that Jabari Smith has limited physical upside and he's not nearly an elite enough shooter to be a star from just his jumpshot.

[JMAC3]

hilariously bad take

So no chance that Amen or Whitmore are better players in 2 years? That is what you are saying by calling this such a hilarious bad take.

very little

and your post is a hilariously bad take because it was a leading question and you know it. what evidence do you have today exactly that Cam or Amen or Green are more valuable prospects than Smith exactly?

It is an opinion, no need to start shaking with anger and feel the need to insult me.

You act as if Whitmore and Amen weren't widely seen as top 7 prospects last draft.

[clyde21]

So no chance that Amen or Whitmore are better players in 2 years? That is what you are saying by calling this such a hilarious bad take.

very little

and your post is a hilariously bad take because it was a leading question and you know it. what evidence do you have today exactly that Cam or Amen or Green are more valuable prospects than Smith exactly?

It is an opinion, no need to start shaking with anger and feel the need to insult me.

You act as if Whitmore and Amen weren't widely seen as top 7 prospects last draft.

you didn't really state as a opinion, you asked a very leading question for very obvious reasons.

how Jabari the 5th most valuable prospect on Houston? break it down for us, start with him vs. Amen. why is Amen more valuable than Bari moving forward?

[clyde21]

So no chance that Amen or Whitmore are better players in 2 years? That is what you are saying by calling this such a hilarious bad take.

very little

and your post is a hilariously bad take because it was a leading question and you know it. what evidence do you have today exactly that Cam or Amen or Green are more valuable prospects than Smith exactly?

Whitmore is athletic and has some creation upside.

0.7 BPG and .212 FTr screams that Jabari Smith has limited physical upside and he's not nearly an elite enough shooter to be a star from just his jumpshot.

im probably the only person on this board that had Cam Whitmore top 5, so you dont have to tell me about him, but no, ain't no way in hell he's a more valuable asset than Jabari moving forward.

btw, Bari is still younger than the Thompson twins and Brandon Miller, so

[clyde21]

at this point Jabari is turning into one of the most underrated players in the entire league. its actually **** bizarre.

find me how many 20 year olds in NBA history averaged 15/10/2 on 46/37/82.

[HadAnEffectHere]

at this point Jabari is turning into one of the most underrated players in the entire league. its actually **** bizarre.

find me how many 20 year olds in NBA history averaged 15/10/2 on 46/37/82.

What is his path of doing anything more than he's doing now.

He's not a creator at all, not an elite shooter, and is just OK athletically.

(It's also way easier to score 15 PPG in this era than any other era in league history)

He has a -0.7 BPM and a WAR of 1.1 which is like... fine for a player his age, but not spectacular.

(You also posted per 36 numbers instead of per game numbers...)

[clyde21]

at this point Jabari is turning into one of the most underrated players in the entire league. its actually **** bizarre.

find me how many 20 year olds in NBA history averaged 15/10/2 on 46/37/82.

What is his path of doing anything more than he's doing now.

He's not a creator at all, not an elite shooter, and is just OK athletically.

(It's also way easier to score 15 PPG in this era than any other era in league history)

He has a -0.7 BPM and a WAR of 1.1 which is like... fine for a player his age, but not spectacular.

(You also posted per 36 numbers instead of per game numbers...)

lol, I didn't post per36 for a dude that plays 5mp a game, I did it for a dude that's playing 32mpg.

and he doesn't need to be a creator. why the **** does everyone need to be a creator? low usage, two way combo bigs like Jabari bring incredible value in today's NBA. I don't need him to be my point forward or take 25 shots a game.

[HadAnEffectHere]

Okay so he's not a creator.

Or an elite shooter.

Or an elite defender.

So he's... a guy.

Like, does he have the athleticism to be a DPotY caliber guy? I don't think so. Where is his path to getting much better than he is now?

Low usage guys do not bring tons of value unless they're very efficient and are elite defenders. Jabari's TS+ is at 98 (a big improvement, but still below average) and I don't know if he hits elite level defense.

[NO-KG-AI]

I still like his potential as a defender and shooter, and the fit with Sengun. The backpedaling is kind of hilarious though lol.

[HadAnEffectHere]

The fit with Sengun is one of the things I like least. Neither guy can block shots. Guessing Smith gets traded for a guard in the next few years as the Rockets try to find a PF that can block shots and hit threes.

[clyde21]

Okay so he's not a creator.

Or an elite shooter.

Or an elite defender.

So he's... a guy.

Like, does he have the athleticism to be a DPotY caliber guy? I don't think so. Where is his path to getting much better than he is now?

Low usage guys do not bring tons of value unless they're very efficient and are elite defenders. Jabari's TS+ is at 98 (a big improvement, but still below average) and I don't know if he hits elite level defense.

1) how do you define elite shooter? a 6-10 guy shooting 36% from 3 and 82% from the FT line on considerable volume i'd say is an elite shooter. what threshold does he have to cross as a combo big to be considered elite? list some some examples.

2) he's not an elite rim protector (never was) but his ability to defend multiple positions, even 1-5 on some nights, including the ability to defend multiple levels of the court is elite.

[clyde21]

I still like his potential as a defender and shooter, and the fit with Sengun. The backpedaling is kind of hilarious though lol.

who's backpedaling?

[Chuck Everett]

How do you guys watch Jabari this season and not see that once his body fills out, he's going to become a two-way monster? He's still all arms and legs, but the 240lb version of him is going to be a problem to play against. His frame can absolutely handle the added muscle and weight. There are a lot of similarities between him and Jaren Jackson, Jr, physical progression wise.

[King Ken]

The fit with Sengun is one of the things I like least. Neither guy can block shots. Guessing Smith gets traded for a guard in the next few years as the Rockets try to find a PF that can block shots and hit threes.

2k24 had them trading Sengun to the Spurs to get Sarr. That will never happen in real life because it's dumb but ideally, I think that's what they need around either player. Fit is one of the most difficult things to find in the NBA.

[NO-KG-AI]

I still like his potential as a defender and shooter, and the fit with Sengun. The backpedaling is kind of hilarious though lol.

who's backpedaling?

You went from being uber condescending to everyone that even suggested he might have problems creating at the NBA level to “why the **** does he need to be a creator??”

[NO-KG-AI]

Okay so he's not a creator.

Or an elite shooter.

Or an elite defender.

So he's... a guy.

Like, does he have the athleticism to be a DPotY caliber guy? I don't think so. Where is his path to getting much better than he is now?

Low usage guys do not bring tons of value unless they're very efficient and are elite defenders. Jabari's TS+ is at 98 (a big improvement, but still below average) and I don't know if he hits elite level defense.

1) how do you define elite shooter? a 6-10 guy shooting 36% from 3 and 82% from the FT line on considerable volume i'd say is an elite shooter. what threshold does he have to cross as a combo big to be considered elite? list some some examples.

2) he's not an elite rim protector (never was) but his ability to defend multiple positions, even 1-5 on some nights, including the ability to defend multiple levels of the court is elite.

To add to point #2, I think Sengun and Smith is plenty size up front, especially as Jabari adds weight. You don’t need to have an elite shot blocker to have great rim and paint protection. I like their fit on both ends, because Jabari is already a solid shooter and stands to only get better, and he’s very versatile defensively already.

[MemphisX]

at this point Jabari is turning into one of the most underrated players in the entire league. its actually **** bizarre.

find me how many 20 year olds in NBA history averaged 15/10/2 on 46/37/82.

I put in his exact stats and not per 36 since that was an issue.

[K_chile22]

Okay so he's not a creator.

Or an elite shooter.

Or an elite defender.

So he's... a guy.

Like, does he have the athleticism to be a DPotY caliber guy? I don't think so. Where is his path to getting much better than he is now?

Low usage guys do not bring tons of value unless they're very efficient and are elite defenders. Jabari's TS+ is at 98 (a big improvement, but still below average) and I don't know if he hits elite level defense.

1) how do you define elite shooter? a 6-10 guy shooting 36% from 3 and 82% from the FT line on considerable volume i'd say is an elite shooter. what threshold does he have to cross as a combo big to be considered elite? list some some examples.

2) he's not an elite rim protector (never was) but his ability to defend multiple positions, even 1-5 on some nights, including the ability to defend multiple levels of the court is elite.

To add to point #2, I think Sengun and Smith is plenty size up front, especially as Jabari adds weight. You don’t need to have an elite shot blocker to have great rim and paint protection. I like their fit on both ends, because Jabari is already a solid shooter and stands to only get better, and he’s very versatile defensively already.

in nearly 800 possessions the Rockets with Jalen Green off the floor and Sengun on are very good defensively, 106.6. This season showed you can have a successful defense with guys like Jabari, Dillon, Amen, Fred around Sengun but not when you also throw one of the worst guard defenders in basketball into the mix.

TBH even including green as a possibility of being someone more valuable than Jabari is just a very silly take on its face.

Also weird that we're like "Ah this 20 year old with a high shooting pedigree shooting 37%? I guess he's just a 37% guy" like shooting isn't the most common thing players get better at

[JMAC3]

at this point Jabari is turning into one of the most underrated players in the entire league. its actually **** bizarre.

find me how many 20 year olds in NBA history averaged 15/10/2 on 46/37/82.

What is his path of doing anything more than he's doing now.

He's not a creator at all, not an elite shooter, and is just OK athletically.

(It's also way easier to score 15 PPG in this era than any other era in league history)

He has a -0.7 BPM and a WAR of 1.1 which is like... fine for a player his age, but not spectacular.

(You also posted per 36 numbers instead of per game numbers...)

lol, I didn't post per36 for a dude that plays 5mp a game, I did it for a dude that's playing 32mpg.

and he doesn't need to be a creator. why the **** does everyone need to be a creator? low usage, two way combo bigs like Jabari bring incredible value in today's NBA. I don't need him to be my point forward or take 25 shots a game.

So why use per36 numbers at all?
Also, the Rockets are a bottom 10 team in the league, it is not like Jabari is dominating his role and his team is coasting to winning with him just "fitting in". He is 5th in attempts per game, 5th in scoring on a losing team.

The path to Rockets being a good team feels like Amen, Cam jump Jabari in pecking order and Jabari can continue to be solid as the 5th option. That seems more likely to me than Jabari turns into a real #2 or #3 option.