Surprised Jabari's rating is a 58. I know he's a volume scorer that does little else. I didn't pay special attention to Jabari but I liked what I saw. He's one of the few guys who doesn't look hesitant in his decision making on the court. He may be a one-trick pony but he does it well, and definitely doesn't pysche himself out of his game. I don't really see any Shannon Brown in Jabari Brown. Jabari's not even close to being the athlete Shannon was. Jabari is a better shooter, can catch and shoot and pull-up from 3. Also has the ability to put up mid-range jumpers. Jabari also has significantly better handles and is a craftier finisher. Shannon's finishes were highlight reels but it was much more power and speed than skill. Shannon wasn't a volume scorer by any means. Then again we've seen very little of Jabari at the NBA level.
The thing I love most about Jabari is how strong he finishes with contact. I haven't really seen a lot of guys like that. He bullies his way to the rim and doesn't seem to be affected by getting mugged at all.
Wing ratings actually tends to run a bit lower, for some reason. Maybe it's because the elite wings are so ridiculously good at everything - they tend to score a lot, handle the ball a lot, and also tend to pick up lots of steals. One dimensional players get left behind, and Jabari is definitely one dimensional. I don't think I agree regarding handles, and I did mention the craftiness in Jabari, but I'll just address the claim that Jabari has a better jumper. Here are Shannon Brown's numbers in the two seasons in Phoenix, in which he played significant minutes. He shot a lot of jumpers, and his percent was down a bit. In Phoenix 71% were jumpers, shot 38.1% eFG 78% were jumpers, shot 42.1% eFG But In LA, his numbers were these: 79% were jumpers, 44.3% eFG 74% were jumpers, 44.3% eFG vs. Jabari last season with LA: 71% were jumpers, 44.6% eFG They're pretty darn close to his LA effectiveness with the J. As you've noted, we need more minutes to see, and I put out that "36% from three" line for a reason. It's not something Shannon was able to do with LA, and that put a cap on his effectiveness. Okay - one more thing! Shannon took 12 and 15, respectively, shots per 36 minutes in his time with us. Jabari took fewer than 11 per 36 with us last year. That said, I do expect that number to increase. That's his style of play. Who do you see as a better comparison? (I confess I'm trying to stick with Lakers for the most part, but I don't mind if it's any one, Laker or not.)
JORDAN CLARKSON PROJECTIONS Scoring Efficiency: 5.88 Passing Efficiency: 3.47 Hustle Efficiency: 2.54 Position: PG (Wing) Positional Efficiency: 76 (74) -Constantly working on his game, Clarkson should improve his scoring, playmaking, and overall game from last season. He has looked like by far the best player on an otherwise not terribly impressive Summer League team. He also at times looked like the best player on a pretty bad Lakers team last season. He could end up being the best, most consistent player on a respectable squad this season. Role: Starter Jordan Clarkson started 38 games for the Lakers last season. That was the third most among Lakers, and neither player who started more games is back with the Lakers. Clarkson becomes a kind of veteran presence for a very young team. He should be a fixture in the starting five for years to come. Player Comparison No one would confuse Clarkson's body of work at this point with the likes of Dwyane Wade and Russell Westbrook (two players at least some Lakers fans have compared Clarkson to). One might, however, confuse Clarkson's early career with that of Tyreke Evans. Both players fired out of the gates with combo guard skills, the ability to stuff the stat sheet, a flair for driving and completing plays, and an iffy jump shot.
A few quick edits bc I realized I'd miscalculated Passing Efficiency by just a bit. SCORING EXCELLENT 6.0 Clarkson 5.88 GOOD 5.75 J. Brown 5.59 SOLID 5.5 A. Brown 5.38 Buycks 5.17 Tarik 5.11 ADEQUATE 5.0 PASSING EXCELLENT 3.5 Clarkson 3.47 GOOD 3.0 Buycks 2.79 SOLID 2.5 J. Brown A. Brown 2.32 ADEQUATE 2.0 Tarik 1.83 POOR 1.5 HUSTLE EXCELLENT 3.5 Tarik 3.40 GOOD 3.0 Clarkson 2.54 SOLID 2.5 A. Brown 2.44 Buycks 2.24 ADEQUATE 2.0 J. Brown POSITIONAL RATING STARTER 80 Clarkson 76 Tarik 72 ROLE PLAYER 70 (I mean a key role player here) ROTATIONAL 60 J. Brown 55 Buycks 55 A. Brown 54 NBA BODY 40
@trodgers No doubt that they have similar numbers as jump shooters. The big thing is that Jabari has played limited minutes so we can't assess how he'd look if he got the run Shannon got. Other than that though they just do different things on the court, but I could see how they might play a similar "role" on a team. It's funny, when I was writing my previous post up, I was trying to think of a comparison for Jabari. An undersized scoring 2 that likes to shoot the long ball, attack the basket and finish pressure layups, and hit an occasional mid-range jumper. I figured you were trying to stick to Lakers as well, because I could not think of a Laker comparison. I'm very bad at thinking of NBA players out of the blue, but I see a bit of Corey Brewer in a) their body types and b) the way they like to get to the rim and finish craftily. Obviously Corey has about 5 inches on him and his a putrid 3-point shooter. The best I can do is Corey Brewer and someone who is an average, but reliable 3 point shooter as an undersized 2 - Jason Terry? Though I'd say Terry > Jabari for sure.
Yeah. Terry has playmaking skills that I'm not sure Brown does. Maybe Brewer is a good comparison. I don't get to watch him too much.
Clarkson it seems makes great decisions with the ball. His passing rating is probably boosted because he doesn't turn the ball over much. I posted an SI piece on Clarkson in his thread that talks about how he's a rare commodity in today's league because he shoots jumpers and because he's so deliberate with what he wants to do, which leaves little room for error. I frikin' love this kid. We are so lucky.
I'm having a hard time analoging Jabari. I guess in terms of effectiveness I can see some Corey Brewer, but Brewer's body type is wildly different than Jabari's. I'd also say Jabari is a better shot creator than Brewer by a wide margin. Not sure I see them as a comparison. I was kind of thinking Kevin Martin maybe? Like a poor man's Kevin Martin who is able to shoot outside, draw fouls, and play make a little bit?
I don't remember Martin attacking like Jabari, and Martin had a soft stroke. What about Francisco Garcia?
That's closer. I don't think he was able to draw fouls like Jabari is, but that's definitely closer. I think Garcia for a minute there was a better defender, but I think Jabari is also a decent passer in that he doesn't have great vision, but doesn't make a lot of mistakes either. He's able to create a little more than Francisco.
Dorell Wright...if all this talk about his shooting is true to form. Brown looks to be a better defender.
Jabari reminds me of a lesser Rodney Stuckey. A scorer type who has some pretty good strength for his size and finishes well with contact. Not extremely athletic, but decent. I think Stuckey had a little bit more of some PG passing skills, but he was primarily a scorer. Clarkson out the gate is close to Tyreke, but the strides me made over last season propelled him past Tyreke. His jumper is actually pretty good, especially in the midrange where he likes to pull up. His 3 ball isn't half bad either. Some players I cringe when taking a 3, but I usually feel confident in his shot. Right now, I still like the Westbrook comparison, just without that freakish athleticism. Although, the extra strength JC has put on his working well for him.
Jabari Brown reminds me of Shumpert. Compact and stocky. Brown has an edge on offense...Shumpert on defense.
LARRY NANCE JR. PROJECTIONS Scoring Efficiency: 5.21 Passing Efficiency: 2.20 Hustle Efficiency: 3.00 Position: BIG (Wing) Positional Efficiency: 70 (56) -Nance's scoring is going to be difficult to gauge. His jump shot is atrocious at present, but he was a decent scorer in college despite that fact. He is a surprisingly solid decision-maker with the ball, and he is a solid hustle player. Role: Role Player - Defense/Hustle A few things have stood out about Nance's play in the Summer League. On one hand, his jumper is grotesque. On the positive side, his athleticism is excellent, and his level of effort is frenetic. He could be used as a backup PF or a longer SF to bother some of the better scoring SFs in the game. Player Comparison: Andres Nocioni When I look at Nance, I see Andres Nocioni. There are two small differences between the two players; Nocioni had better handles, and Nocioni became a better three-point shooter than I think Nance will ever be. Still, watch the hustle and aggressive style of play in this video clip. [youtube]
FYI: these numbers will be modified as the players go through preseason. Nance is a player whose Scoring Efficiency I don't think will end up where it is. I think it will end up below 5, at least for the start of his career.
Nance I see Josh McRoberts right now, though I think McBob had a shot. But I see that physical, athletic hustle player who plays hard every play and won't be afraid to give out a good hard foul. I don't think his jumper is necessarily broken, it doesn't look pretty, but I think he was scouted to have a decent jumper open, he just hasn't been hitting it in SL just yet.
to weigh on brown, I agree it's difficult to pin down an analog. I'm sure no one will like it, but I see him more like Jordan Crawford. a little more willing to go to the basket and a little less willing to just jack willy nilly, but he's in that milieu. and great call on the nance/nocioni comp. if nance can get an even semi-respectable jumper, I think that's exactly who he could be.
