FanPost

Sorry For Jabari

The 2014 draft class was, and is, an interesting group. It produced two superstar bigs, a couple of All Star caliber players, some elite role players, a number of surprising 2nd round players, a few busts, and the classic draft line "two years away from being two years away." What’s really interesting about this group is how and when players found success. Guys like Smart, Embiid (when he was finally healthy), and Jokic (when the Nuggets made a Nurkic vs Jokic decision) helped their teams immediately, have continued to grow, and are having their best seasons as they get into their prime years. The 2014 class also featured an unusual number of players who have developed slowly and/or took time to find the right role and situation. Many of them are just finding their place in the league now 7 seasons into their careers.

The following players are just now coming into their own, or have in the last season or two. (Pick number)

Andrew Wiggins (1)

Aaron Gordon (4)

Julius Randle (7)

Dario Saric (12)

Zach LaVine (13)

T.J. Warren (14)

Clint Capela (25)

Kyle Anderson (30)

Joe Harris (33)

Spencer Dinwiddie (38)

Jerami Grant (39)

Jordan Clarkson (46)

Wiggins and Gordon were miscast as stars. Randle and LaVine put up numbers, but struggled on D and as playmakers. They finally patched some of the holes in their games and became All Stars. TJ Warren went from a "negative asset" to a key rotation player on a good team, and a big story in the bubble. Capela was productive in Houston, then dumped, and then born again better than ever. And so on... A lot of players take a while to develop, and occasionally they need a change of scenery and system to reach their potential. The 2014 class shows us that major improvements can still happen for guys in their mid 20s who are deep into their careers.

Before the Celtics started signing star free agents and making 5 draft picks every summer they were very good at identifying players who could find success and contribute in Boston. IT, Crowder, Evan Turner, Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes, Theis… (Kornet as a poor man’s Myles Turner? No?) All of those guys were undervalued players the Celtics identified and acquired for next to nothing. They went on to play important roles on good Celtics teams. Getting a good player while risking very little has gotten more difficult as teams around the NBA have gotten more savvy, and are more apprehensive about dealing with notorious trade winner, Trader Danny, but it can still happen.

Here’s where I say I’m not expecting all that much from Jabari Parker. He’s not going to be the next Julius Randle, but he is a good low risk flier. He could still be better than he has been. He just turned 26. He has had horrible injury luck, which slowed his progress, but he also hasn’t been in a good situation.

Jabari first played on an up and coming young Bucks team that hadn’t figured out how to build around Giannis yet. They had almost no shooting back then. After leaving Milwaukee he played for a terrible Bulls team (22-60) and an almost as terrible Wizards team (32-50). Then he was off to the no defense playing Atlanta Hawks before getting shipped to Sacramento where he was stuck on a shelf/ buried behind Barnes, Bagley, Bjelica…

Jabari came into the league as a combo forward, and teams played him in that role. He isn’t a combo forward. He’s not a good 3 point shooter, and he’s not quick enough to spend a lot of time guarding smaller perimeter players. He’s a combo big. Jabari is HUGE. He’s close in size to a lot of smaller centers like Bam Adebayo. He’s 6’8" in socks and 245. He has an 8’ 11-1/2" standing reach. That’s legitimate 4/5 size. (For reference Bam is 6’ 8-3/4" in socks, 255, and has a 9’ standing reach.)

The Celtics seem to have identified Jabari as a combo big who has untapped potential in that role. Boston is by far the best basketball situation yet for him. He can play a role that fits. The Celtics can surround him with shooters who are versatile defenders. The Celtics will expect him to try on D, and won't expect him to carry the offense. They can create space by playing guys who can shoot and are versatile defenders. In Boston Jabari can play off really good players who can create opportunities for him. The Celtics also have excellent rebounders on the wings in Jaylen and Tatum, so Jabari doesn’t have to pull down every board like a traditional big. (He might also see a jump in his rebounding stats playing closer to the rim.) As a career 74 % free throw shooter with a nice shot he’s not a lost cause as a 3 point shooter. A number of his draft classmates have dramatically improved as 3 point shooters very recently, and the Celtics have had a ton of success developing players’ 3 point shots quickly.

If Parker doesn’t work out it’s not big deal. If he can be an off the bench scoring threat at the 4/5 who plays passable defense he’ll be a nice pick up for the Cs. It’s not impossible that he can be even more than that. He's not going to be the star people thought he could be when Jalen Rose called tanking teams "sorry for Jabari," but it’s not too late for him to be a real contributor on a good team.


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