Jalen Smith news, highlights and other discussion

RedIndian · Post #221 » by **RedIndian** » Sun Feb 21, 2021 6:23 pm

13 points / 6 rebounds / 2 blocks in 18 mins in his latest game.

?s=19

Post #222 » by **bwgood77** » Sun Feb 21, 2021 8:23 pm

Not sure what was going on here...pouting about being in G league, didn't realize he was out of bounds, there were 5 other guys on court or both.

Read on Twitter

Post #223 » by **bwgood77** » Sun Feb 21, 2021 8:58 pm

RedIndian · Post #224 » by **RedIndian** » Mon Feb 22, 2021 5:16 am

Happy that Stix is getting regular minutes and is being productive. We should let him play through the entire bubble. 15+ games should give him the conditioning and confidence needed to be able to take a shot at cracking the rotation.

I think he should be gunning for Frank's spot post the ASB. Frank has been great so far for us, but he still offers very little by way of rebounding or defensive resistance. Smith can offer that.

The concern is that Monty's offense requires the bigs to be able to move the ball smartly, which is why Frank and Saric fit so well into the system. I'm happy to see that Smith is putting the ball on the floor regularly. If he can do that and move the ball around, he'll soon be in the rotation.

Barkley6 · Post #225 » by **Barkley6** » Mon Feb 22, 2021 3:02 pm

RedIndian wrote:Happy that Stix is getting regular minutes and is being productive. We should let him play through the entire bubble. 15+ games should give him the conditioning and confidence needed to be able to take a shot at cracking the rotation.

I think he should be gunning for Frank's spot post the ASB. Frank has been great so far for us, but he still offers very little by way of rebounding or defensive resistance. Smith can offer that.

The concern is that Monty's offense requires the bigs to be able to move the ball smartly, which is why Frank and Saric fit so well into the system. I'm happy to see that Smith is putting the ball on the floor regularly. If he can do that and move the ball around, he'll soon be in the rotation.

I think Smith has a ton of potential and the right tools to be very good for us, but for me, I've given up on him making any kind of meaningful contribution this season. Now, come next year...who knows what happens with Frank? Maybe Smith can step in and take some minutes then, but I just don't see it happening this season, especially because we've been playing so well of late and are building some great chemistry.

ImNotMcDiSwear · Post #226 » by **ImNotMcDiSwear** » Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:17 pm

Barkley6 wrote:
RedIndian wrote:Happy that Stix is getting regular minutes and is being productive. We should let him play through the entire bubble. 15+ games should give him the conditioning and confidence needed to be able to take a shot at cracking the rotation.

I think he should be gunning for Frank's spot post the ASB. Frank has been great so far for us, but he still offers very little by way of rebounding or defensive resistance. Smith can offer that.

The concern is that Monty's offense requires the bigs to be able to move the ball smartly, which is why Frank and Saric fit so well into the system. I'm happy to see that Smith is putting the ball on the floor regularly. If he can do that and move the ball around, he'll soon be in the rotation.

I think Smith has a ton of potential and the right tools to be very good for us, but for me, I've given up on him making any kind of meaningful contribution this season. Now, come next year...who knows what happens with Frank? Maybe Smith can step in and take some minutes then, but I just don't see it happening this season, especially because we've been playing so well of late and are building some great chemistry.

All that, plus, more importantly, Jalen's too small. Crowder's got at least 20 lbs on him, Kaminsky 25. Saric is listed as only 10 lbs more, but come on, no way. Jalen ain't grown enough to play in this league yet, is what I'm saying. Doesn't matter his talent level. He's not a small forward, so he's gotta bulk up before he can be out there.

Post #227 » by **bwgood77** » Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:31 pm

ImNotMcDiSwear wrote:
Barkley6 wrote:
RedIndian wrote:Happy that Stix is getting regular minutes and is being productive. We should let him play through the entire bubble. 15+ games should give him the conditioning and confidence needed to be able to take a shot at cracking the rotation.

I think he should be gunning for Frank's spot post the ASB. Frank has been great so far for us, but he still offers very little by way of rebounding or defensive resistance. Smith can offer that.

The concern is that Monty's offense requires the bigs to be able to move the ball smartly, which is why Frank and Saric fit so well into the system. I'm happy to see that Smith is putting the ball on the floor regularly. If he can do that and move the ball around, he'll soon be in the rotation.

I think Smith has a ton of potential and the right tools to be very good for us, but for me, I've given up on him making any kind of meaningful contribution this season. Now, come next year...who knows what happens with Frank? Maybe Smith can step in and take some minutes then, but I just don't see it happening this season, especially because we've been playing so well of late and are building some great chemistry.

All that, plus, more importantly, Jalen's too small. Crowder's got at least 20 lbs on him, Kaminsky 25. Saric is listed as only 10 lbs more, but come on, no way. Jalen ain't grown enough to play in this league yet, is what I'm saying. Doesn't matter his talent level. He's not a small forward, so he's gotta bulk up before he can be out there.

I think he can still offer some weak side block help, spread the floor, etc. He may not be worth playing this year given how we are playing but you don't have to be heavy to do much. Durant was always skinny and playing a lot of PF. He's been a decent defender.

ImNotMcDiSwear · Post #228 » by **ImNotMcDiSwear** » Mon Feb 22, 2021 9:03 pm

bwgood77 wrote:
ImNotMcDiSwear wrote:
Barkley6 wrote:
I think Smith has a ton of potential and the right tools to be very good for us, but for me, I've given up on him making any kind of meaningful contribution this season. Now, come next year...who knows what happens with Frank? Maybe Smith can step in and take some minutes then, but I just don't see it happening this season, especially because we've been playing so well of late and are building some great chemistry.

All that, plus, more importantly, Jalen's too small. Crowder's got at least 20 lbs on him, Kaminsky 25. Saric is listed as only 10 lbs more, but come on, no way. Jalen ain't grown enough to play in this league yet, is what I'm saying. Doesn't matter his talent level. He's not a small forward, so he's gotta bulk up before he can be out there.

I think he can still offer some weak side block help, spread the floor, etc. He may not be worth playing this year given how we are playing but you don't have to be heavy to do much. Durant was always skinny and playing a lot of PF. He's been a decent defender.

I mean, if you're talking offense, first of all, KD was KD. On defense, he would get bodied pretty regularly when he was young, IIRC. It took him a few years to get strong enough to be the great defensive player he [was, pre-injury]. Though he never really bulked up, he did spend years in the weight room. And you're just stronger when you're older, period.

It's possible that I'm underestimating Jalen, and he really could step in and provide useful minutes. For reference, if this was 2016, and he was our #4 (or #8) pick, I think he'd be putting up good numbers and probably starting for us. But I don't think that team with him would have won many games. They would have just lost by less.

This team is good so we can't afford to put him out there. Frank may be streaky, but he's professionally streaky, and he'll win us more games than will Jalen at this point.

P.S. No one gonna mention that 0'fer in his last game? Sheesh, we are optimists aren't we? :lol:

he said, while himself entertaining a wonder whether their G-League draftee was the next Greek Freak

RedIndian · Post #229 » by **RedIndian** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 6:39 am

Paul Reed is balling in the G-League. Averaging 21.5 points / 11.9 rebs / 2 steals / 1.6 blocks / 1.9 assists and is shooting 39% from the 3.

Always liked him as a prospect. Would be really upsetting if Reed turns out to be better than Stix.

Mr Puddles · Post #230 » by **Mr Puddles** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:29 am

Does waiving Damian Jones mean that Smith will rejoin the team?

Slim Charless · Post #231 » by **Slim Charless** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:42 am

Mr Puddles wrote:Does waiving Damian Jones mean that Smith will rejoin the team?

I was wondering that. What's the last day we can add him before playoffs start? I'd like him to get some important mins before if that's what Monty is thinking.

I'm guessing the move is to hold him out for the season and let him continue to get reps in the Gleague, then bring him in the fold next season. We don't have a 1st this year anyway right? Due to the cp3 trade I thought. Stix would be our 1st round pick we add onto the team in that case.

Mr Puddles · Post #232 » by **Mr Puddles** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:46 am

Slim Charless wrote:
Mr Puddles wrote:Does waiving Damian Jones mean that Smith will rejoin the team?

I was wondering that. What's the last day we can add him before playoffs start? I'd like him to get some important mins before if that's what Monty is thinking.

I'm guessing the move is to hold him out for the season and let him continue to get reps in the Gleague, then bring him in the fold next season. We don't have a 1st this year anyway right? Due to the cp3 trade I thought. Stix would be our 1st round pick we add onto the team in that case.

We have our first this year, it will likely go to OKC in 2022 (protected 1-12 in 2022, 1-10 in 2023 and 1-8 in 2024 and unprotected in 2025).

I think you're right about keeping Smith in the G-League. We're likely anticipating that there will be a buy out soon (as the first part of the season draws to a close) and that the Suns will be an attractive destination (did I really just write that?) - on account of us having a top record and CP3.

Slim Charless · Post #233 » by **Slim Charless** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:54 am

Mr Puddles wrote:
Slim Charless wrote:
Mr Puddles wrote:Does waiving Damian Jones mean that Smith will rejoin the team?

I was wondering that. What's the last day we can add him before playoffs start? I'd like him to get some important mins before if that's what Monty is thinking.

I'm guessing the move is to hold him out for the season and let him continue to get reps in the Gleague, then bring him in the fold next season. We don't have a 1st this year anyway right? Due to the cp3 trade I thought. Stix would be our 1st round pick we add onto the team in that case.

We have our first this year, it will likely go to OKC in 2022 (protected 1-8).

I think you're right about keeping Smith in the G-League. We're likely anticipating that there will be a buy out soon (as the first part of the season draws to a close) and that the Suns will be an attractive destination (did I really just write that?) - on account of us having a top record and CP3.

I don't really know who I'd like to add that would actually be available. As we all know Phx is pretty deep and adding another player makes it even harder to find mins. I wonder where they see themselves as weak at. I don't have any interest in Drummond.

I guess another playoff tested vet like PJ Tucker would be good add. If possible.

Wilber85 · Post #234 » by **Wilber85** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:39 pm

Jalen Smith is trash. What a waste of a pick! The one thing the Suns need to do is bring in Talent Scouts, that can help out with the draft. We have the worst Talent Scouts in the league for viewing potential rookies.

Wilber85 · Post #235 » by **Wilber85** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 1:40 pm

Slim Charless wrote:
Mr Puddles wrote:
Slim Charless wrote:
I was wondering that. What's the last day we can add him before playoffs start? I'd like him to get some important mins before if that's what Monty is thinking.

I'm guessing the move is to hold him out for the season and let him continue to get reps in the Gleague, then bring him in the fold next season. We don't have a 1st this year anyway right? Due to the cp3 trade I thought. Stix would be our 1st round pick we add onto the team in that case.

We have our first this year, it will likely go to OKC in 2022 (protected 1-8).

I think you're right about keeping Smith in the G-League. We're likely anticipating that there will be a buy out soon (as the first part of the season draws to a close) and that the Suns will be an attractive destination (did I really just write that?) - on account of us having a top record and CP3.

I don't really know who I'd like to add that would actually be available. As we all know Phx is pretty deep and adding another player makes it even harder to find mins. I wonder where they see themselves as weak at. I don't have any interest in Drummond.

I guess another playoff tested vet like PJ Tucker would be good add. If possible.

You realize this spot of Jones is most likely not even going to be in the rotation with Saric back? If we need to fill it, let's sign Noah Vonleh

Post #236 » by **bwgood77** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 5:59 pm

Slim Charless wrote:
Mr Puddles wrote:Does waiving Damian Jones mean that Smith will rejoin the team?

I was wondering that. What's the last day we can add him before playoffs start? I'd like him to get some important mins before if that's what Monty is thinking.

I'm guessing the move is to hold him out for the season and let him continue to get reps in the Gleague, then bring him in the fold next season. We don't have a 1st this year anyway right? Due to the cp3 trade I thought. Stix would be our 1st round pick we add onto the team in that case.

He is on the team. He's just down in the G league. He's still taking up a roster spot. I'd leave him down there until the bubble finishes. I think it finishes by the time the all star break is over which is less than another couple of weeks.

Post #237 » by **bwgood77** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 6:00 pm

Wilber85 wrote:Jalen Smith is trash. What a waste of a pick! The one thing the Suns need to do is bring in Talent Scouts, that can help out with the draft. We have the worst Talent Scouts in the league for viewing potential rookies.

Thank you for stating this. I feel a lot better about this pick now.

Wilber85 · Post #238 » by **Wilber85** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 6:04 pm

bwgood77 wrote:
Wilber85 wrote:Jalen Smith is trash. What a waste of a pick! The one thing the Suns need to do is bring in Talent Scouts, that can help out with the draft. We have the worst Talent Scouts in the league for viewing potential rookies.

Thank you for stating this. I feel a lot better about this pick now.

You are welcome. This guy won't become anything. Mo Bamba has way more potential and he is trash

Fo-Real · Post #239 » by **Fo-Real** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 6:21 pm

Wilber85 wrote:
bwgood77 wrote:
Wilber85 wrote:Jalen Smith is trash. What a waste of a pick! The one thing the Suns need to do is bring in Talent Scouts, that can help out with the draft. We have the worst Talent Scouts in the league for viewing potential rookies.

Thank you for stating this. I feel a lot better about this pick now.

You are welcome. This guy won't become anything. Mo Bamba has way more potential and he is trash

Im the dude who got roasted during the great Okobo/Melton debate, for saying that they were both flaming garbage cans. The fact that the dude is a rookie on a currently great vet team, not being forced into action, 6 "10 with a decent stroke, decent feet and can only get stronger. I am not ready to deem him anything yet. I like the fact that when I see watch his G league games, I like some of the things I see. He has good feet, he fights for rebounds (pushing, pulling and side stepping instead of just standing behind people), and he is not afraid to shoot the mid-range or the three. With the advantageous position that he is in on a good team, he will not be hard judged until next year after PLENTY of time to develop and get stronger.

Frank Lee · Post #240 » by **Frank Lee** » Wed Feb 24, 2021 7:26 pm

If Smith is not slated for the back up backup minutes.... then who do we go after?

We are woefully undersized once Ayton sits, and, IMO, our Achilles Heel is DA getting in foul trouble....Or worse.

Guess I’m jealous of LA rumoring intentions of getting Whiteside. They randomly shop the league every yr around this time.

But there are some soso bigs looking for work.

Would a behaving Boogie be an asset in a 7 gamer? Is Dedmond such a tool he squanders his nba career? Can a resurrected post pubescent Bender be the Kukoc we wanted? Has John Henson softly retired? Who else is out there? We have little to offer in a trade other than Carter and a pick ...

Upgrading the ousted Jones will likely fall into Smith’s lap.... but James has been somewhat sneaky in his acquisitions. If we had a true back up C, we could slide Dario into the starting 5. But, it ain’t broke.....

Just seems wrong not to try for an upgrade as I have a hard time adopting the ‘In Shank we Trust’ mantra. Guess it is working tho, eh Grump?