It is clear who was better last year - which is why Banchero rightfully won ROY. That said, to point to FG% as evidence of that, as the person to whom I responded did, is ludicrous. It is also ludicrous to assert with any certainty who will be better. Paolo was not particularly good at his role either - 3.7 assists and 2.8 TOs is not a successful season as a playmaker. He will likely improve, but so will Jabari. Very few 19 year old rookies are the shooter or defender they will be at 25. And a premium shooter/defender with mediocre playmaking at the 4 is no less valuable than a premium playmaker with mediocre shooting/defense at the 4. Neither player is good at the moment, and arrogance about predicting the future rarely works out well.
Mediocre shooters improve Lowry, Lebron and many others. His shooting form looks fine and his free throw percentage is more than encouraging. He'll 130% end up being a better player than Jabari. Jabari's finding his shot and being .01, .02 better than him from behind the arc won't make Jabari a better player than Banchero. Lebron isn't the best 3p shooter but he's still better than Harrison Barnes.
Shooting is the last thing I would be worried about with Bari. With his stroke the only thing Sullivan is going to tell him is to stop thinking so much and work on your catch and shoot. I think up to this point in his young career, he's played in a lot of AAU style, quick paced offenses with few passes, so he's more comfortable shooting off the dribble. No doubt he's lighting it up in a few yrs. More than likely putting it in on both ends. On a side note... He believes 100% in his shooting ability. Could we see him in an all star 3pt competition some day? We'll see.
Having just middy doesn't make one two way player. He's rn probably one of the worst NBA players so let's wait a year or two. Also this has to be said, Jabari can't really jump, his wingspan is only 1 inch longer than Sengun's wingspan and doesn't have the fastest feet so defensively he'll be fine for sure but he'll never be Mobley level defender. His defense is definitely overrated especially when you remember how he was advertised pre-draft. Future DPOY, the most ready rookie. I'm sorry i know you think we have a hidden gem in our hands, the next Giannis but i'm here stop you from succumbing to depression and offing yourselves when you realize that his peak is Michael Porter Jr.
I'm skeptical of Jabari long term but if you told me Jabari became Michael Porter Jr with solid defense that would be an absolute home run so not sure why you're treating that as a negative. Who the hell is calling him the next Giannis?
We had Harden and while Harden is an underrated defender, he was pretty much known for his High Volume Offense. And especially his one way of playing. Banchero looks like a minor discount Lebron freight train. Even moves more fluidly. (Half of a Dreamshake)
I think the most urgent question for fans is not if Jabari surpasses him but is he going to play for US or Italy......
I'd be happy as well but expectations from him are much higher. People expect him to be Lamarcus Aldridge and some even thinks he can be Garnett.
I mean...anybody who thinks that is certifiably insane. I wouldn't say that's what "expectations" for him are.
I think Bari will be better now that Silas is gone and he's working on developing his body. Silas offense did him no favors. Where I hope he really improves is as a weakside shot blocker and rebounder.
Kevin Garnett is one of the twenty or thirty best humans to ever play basketball, it's no knock on Jabari if he's never that good. I am hoping he can reach a Rashard Lewis level, perhaps with slightly better rebounding.
Was watching the 92 Finals the other evening(Shame people forget how deep those Clyde led Blazers teams were. Multiple all stars top to bottom. Jordan never faced anyone in the Finals!!!1) and i couldn't help but notice Cliff(RIP) give me Bari vibes. He wasn't good in that series, very raw like our boy but he averaged 19 and 6.6 the next season and won 6th man. He was raw in the 90 and 92 Finals, but his early self lean body with broad shoulders and his movement reminds me of Bari. Cliff put on some pretty good mass toward his peak years and later years too. Would yall be mad if Bari has a Cliff like career? 1x All Star. 2x All-Defensive. 1x SMOTY
On offense, yes. But if his rebounding and defense is only slightly better than Rashard, then I'll be disappointed.
Rashard was a very good defender in his prime, wasn't he? He took awhile to get to that point though IIRC, so hopefully Jabari's progression is a bit faster.
