Nothing about his game is that much exciting, maybe just an All Star reserve, media and coaches have to vote him in. Maybe clutch shooting and some blocks.
Depends how the defense comes along under Ime Udoka. If he makes all-defensive teams and is putting up 18 and 10 with a couple blocks on 36% three point shooting, that's easily an all-star. Not as many great power forwards as there used to be. If he just plays average defense, maybe not.
From the marketing standpoint, he also would not have the casual fans voting for him if you pit him against Wemby and those guys that are already fan favorites outside of where they are playing. That is what I meant, and if he is voted in by media and coaches, yeah, I would like to see his competition first.
We all put our trust in Ime. Lets hope he can actually recognize skill level and this whole best players getting to play isn't a facade.
I think I would keep Jabari as the starter going into preseason ball, but not hand him 30+ minutes out the gate like Silas did. It should be pretty close to an even minutes split between the two. I'm currently thinking 26 for Jabari and 22 for Tari. However, it should be a meritocracy. Just start gradually adding more minutes for whoever is playing better, and if at some point that means Tari takes over as the starter, so be it.
There is no way he gets that much playing time, there are so many players with talent now. Maybe Jabari can lead us to the In-season tournament Final Four.
Give Smith starter position and adjust mins accordingly based on game to game performance. Something silas should have done.
It should not be Eason vs Tari but Every Forward vs Dillon Brooks because he is an overpaid veteran and a cocky one who is a collector of Technical fouls at that.
There are two Jabaries, the 1st half and the 2nd half. The way he played the 1st half=> out of the league at season’s end. In game interview he stated he will lead the team. Without hesitation he was asked how. He turns and walked to the court. My thought was he shouldn’t say stupid stuff because this is what happens. 2nd half we get an all world player doing everything all over the court. He played big and small on both ends, he did it all. He was more than amazing. He had that Calvin Kato pre-season game that made him and his children set for life. Then he does a Ralph Sampson vs the Lakers to end the game. I am glad I got to see it. Hopefully it happens again. Eason has his normal game with a few moments of his own. That dunk was amazing and would be the highlight of most games. More importantly, Eason is the one that sets up Smith for the Ralph finish. if the season goes like this first game of Summer league. Two things, it’s must watch and we need both Eason & Smith.
Ngl he did well in 26 games or what it was. I do not think he has the stamina to play SF, PF and Center every game. Better to know his limitations.
It's unfair to let Bari and Tari to compete for ONE position. imho, Bari is a natural 4 and not replaceable, as for Eason i believe he'll start at 3 one day, give him some credit give him some time, he will prove (to Ime) he deserves to start at 3. Speaking of 'compete', I do think JG is the player should've allowed some opportunities to handle some pressure, to compete with others - past two seasons Silas let him starting at PG position every night, never let him to earn it, never kept him as an underdog. At some point of this season, Ime could consider to let KPj, Whitmore to compete for SG position along w/ JG.
I think Tari, Amen, and Cam can bring tremendous defense off the bench. If KPJ can adjust he will be the main scorer and should thrive. Jabari needs to continue to start, besides he is our only PF and that is the only way he will grow into what we need him to be, however, if he dogs it on defense like he did the first half last night then to the bench he goes.
Assembling a starting 5 for an NBA game (not a summer league game) means putting pieces together that match up well and complement one another. Eason brings better defense (blocks, steals, on-ball) and better offensive rebounding, while shooting at a higher percentage. Smith played the lead shooting role last night, which he won't play in many NBA games. The scoring should be provided by higher efficiency shooters than Smith. Eason's contributions fit better within the in-season starting 5 than Smith's, because we need a complementary piece that brings defense, rebounding, and intensity.
