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Rashard Lewis 2.0, but with better defense. We’d be lucky to have him tbh.
https://www.spurstalk.com/jabari-smi...022-nba-draft/
You can make a strong argument that Jabari Smith should be the target if the Spurs get the first pick. I don't quite agree ... but I understand. I'd rather the Spurs gamble on a prospect with a higher ceiling but Smith's likely outcomes are all extremely valuable.
Rashard Lewis 2.0, but with better defense. We’d be lucky to have him tbh.
Thanks.
I think I would have 1. Banchero 2. Smith 3. Chet though skill wise I think Chet is better than Smith. I just have too many concerns over Chet's physique.
1?
1A?
My pick. For all the optimism spurstalk has for Primo almost solely on age I’d think it would be easy for others here to see Smith have the potential to further develop his game on the offensive end.
Good comparison.
Lewis was a solid 2nd round pick. I remember ppl knocking him for being a long skinny pf who shoots too many 3s LOL. We missed out on him in 98. He would have been a great young player to match with Timmy. I think we drafted Felipe Lopez and sent him to the Grizz for AD that year.
If the Spurs have the chance to draft him and really believe in the current young guys, they shouldn't even hesitate. Dude fits this current roster like a glove.
I'm an Auburn alumnus and fan, so I'm extremely biased, but Jabari should be #1 on the Spurs' big board. I agree that his offensive game is not dynamic yet, but his elite shooting makes his upside incredible. His defense improved greatly from high school to his one year at Auburn. His maturity and at ude is exactly what you want to see from a potential franchise player. He is younger than the other elite prospects.
If you're aiming to win championships, you take Jabari Smith with the #1 pick.
Seems like Jabari would need to be complemented by a primary option that can penetrate and pass. We don’t exactly have that in Dejounte but Jabari’s presence would definitely open up the lane some for Dejounte to drive. Interesting to ponderhow it would all mesh. KJ and Jabbari on the court together really could open up the paint. Sucks that Yak never pursued his post game since college.
Another excellent writeup, timvp. Keep ‘em coming!
Your article mentions:
“ The statistic that jumps off the page is Smith’s 43.5% shooting on two-pointers. For a 6-foot-10 college player, that’s a very worrying number. ”
And it’s a very curious number, for a player who shoots 3s so well. What’s going on with his 2s?What I found on his shot chart may give an answer.
Shot chart, near the bottom of the page, here:
http://mavsdraft.com/jabari-smith-scouting-report/
A couple things stand out. On the chart, he’s good over most of the 2pt area, but he’s lousy at the baseline. Really bad there. A permanent problem? I doubt it. It implies he’s just never practiced enough shooting from the baseline to be comfortable with the different perspective it gives. Such a young player isn’t going to be well-practiced at everything.
Then, the chart shows he’s weak at finishing near the basket. Since he’s such a dedicated jump shooter, especially at longer range, and out in front of the basket, how much quality practice time has he spent at finishing, and working near the basket in general? Not a whole lot, I suspect.
Anyway, I think that his low 2pt percentage does not reflect any lack in his ability. It only looks like he has a couple well-defined holes in his game, that he needs to work on: the baseline, and action near the basket.
There’s no surprise for any young player that he’d have some holes in his game. But I’d say it’s rare to see things so clear on a shot chart. He needs to be drafted by a team that takes player development seriously, and can provide him with good, focused practice, to expand his game. Imo.
Seems like a very high end role player, a supreme 3&D player. He also hit some clutch shots, can shoot over anybody.
Of course I would love that guy on the Spurs, but locked in to a top three pick salary? That's what gives me pause.
I have a top tier of 2 prospects at the top of this draft: Holmgren and Banchero. Why isn't Jabari there as well???
1) He's got NBA size and NBA athleticism, you can see that from the tape.
2) Jeff Duncan provided the shot chart - he doesn't finish near the basket.
3), he's a pretty average rebounder at the college level; 9.3/36 (for a 6'10" guy, that's not great).
These three things interrelate: Given 1, he should be a good finisher and a strong college rebounder. I think the answer is he's soft... Thus, I strongly suspect his career is going to be Rashard Lewis rather than Budget KD.
Picking 1st or 2nd or even 3rd doesn't guarentee the best player. Look at this year's rookie of the year Scottie Barnes. He was selected 4th. While the first four selections all did fairly well, and will probably improve even more next season, Barnes had the best overall season. Other players selected even further down the line had pretty decent seasons as well. (Mobley & Wagner)
The first four players selected don't always turn out to be the best. Teams just think they are. In a few years we'll truly know if our guesses were correct. Time always tells.
He had a lower rebound and block rate because he played next to a behemoth in Walker Kessler and largely played as a perimeter big. His good numbers overall are an indication that he will be an excellent modern day PF.
To elaborate further on the 2 PT FG%, Tsarks from The Ringer appeared on a Bill Simmons podcast recently and had an interesting point:
Out of the all guys who played college basketball and were taken in the top 5 in the last 10 drafts, Smith ranks dead last in that statistic.
That seems obscene for somebody with that particular size, skill and build.
That sounds worthy of a #1 overall in today's NBA. Holmgren is my pick but Shard with elite defense would be a cheat code.
"It comes down to his overall offensive potential and the lack thereof. While he has extreme potential as a spot-up shooter, there are few signs that he’ll evolve into anything beyond that." Doesn't sound like a player deserving the 1 pick.
We locked in McDermott for more this past summer. Replace McLovin with Jabari Smith in the starting lineuo and we are a playoff team. The rookie salary scale shouldn’t be a concern.
I see him as a safe pick, he looks like he could be a solid player but not much beyond that and and I wouldn't use a top pick on but if they do they could do worse I guess.
But Smith's rebound rate is a tad higher than Banchero's, who is the same height and 30 lbs bigger. Smith's block and steal rates are also higher than Banchero's, leading me to believe he's generally more active & engaged defensively than Paolo. So would you say Banchero is defensively soft? The comp that keeps popping up for Jabari is Rashard Lewis + defense, which is a lot different from just saying he's like Rashard Lewis.
Last edited by R. DeMurre; 05-07-2022 at 09:02 AM.
The other comp for Smith is a 6'10" Klay Thompson. Thompson shot under 50% from 2 in his college years, improving each season, going 42.7%, 44.9%, and 46.6%. Then as a pro, he shot below 50% from 2 his first four seasons, followed by four seasons above 50%. But Jabari shot a higher 3pt% and a higher 2pt% than Klay in their freshmen years. Dirk as a 20 year old rookie in the NBA shot 45.5% from 2 and just a hair under 50% from there for his career. Jabari is still 18, and turns 19 next week.
Nice insight. I don’t think this is a problem. Most prospects are going to have holes in their game they need to work on.
A 6’10, fairly mobile 19 yr old who looks to be a great 3pt shooter and solid/versatile defender already just needs to work on the simple stuff now? If Primo gets a pass for his age I would think this board would be in love with Jabari’s potential.
Last edited by KingKev; 05-07-2022 at 09:45 AM.
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