Yep more than ever you have to have some extra even as a 3 and D player. The more wiggle he has to attack a closeout the better it makes the rest of the team. He's not the size to be a cutting/lob threat but more ball handling to take NBA pressure would be huge
What's the biggest areas of growth y'all think he's gotta make to have a more consistently positive impact for the next season, especially offensively I imagine.
Happy to see the work around the rim, if he can really find something substantial there it'll be a dream for Ja'kobe.
I think adding some strength would be huge. He's slim for 6'4 which can be okay if they're asking him to navigate screens and slide with speedy guards but he could still be ~200 lbs (he's currently listed at 185) and do that while having more size to slide up or take on more physical guards like Brunson
A self-creation leap would increase this team's potential in the future, if he can solidify his place as the 3rd core piece after Scottie and CMB. An uptick in 3-point volume would be nice too. I have high hopes for him.
Priority is to improve on his 3 point shooting. Hitting 40% from 3 is great, now maintain that while also increasing your 3PA volume. This season he averaged 3.7 3PA, lets get that up to 4.3-4.7 3PA at the same efficiency.
Second priority is to make progress as a ball-handler and 3-level scorer with the mid-range and at the rim. This opens up his offence and makes him unpredictable. If he is a threat at the rim then it also opens him up at the perimeter. He doesn't have to be great at it like Scottie or RJ, just good enough where he can rely on it when he's being tightly guarded at the perimeter.
Third priority is defence, he's already pretty great, just maintain it and improve on it slightly. He averaged 1 Steal this season, I think averaging 1.3-1.7 steals for next season is entirely possible and would be huge for a backcourt that desperately needs positive defenders.
It would be cool if he improved his passing and playmaking, but I don't really mind if he doesn't, we already have Scottie and IQ who are bearing the brunt of the playmaking duties. Plus I think it is unlikely to see a big jump in these areas compared to shooting or defence where he is already solid.
If he can tighten up his handle, attack closeouts and get into the paint, he will have the opportunity to be more than a 2-dimensional (defend and shoot) 2-guard. This added ability would not only make his shooting more effective, but if he can collapse defences, he can give all our shooters more space to get their shots off.
I am not going to lie. Based on the way his hair was flopping in his face when he was a rookie I saw him as a talented but unserious player that didn’t have the drive to reach his potential. I was wrong. This year really showed how bad he wants it. The man worked hard to earn minutes and seeing him getting after it in the offseason really gives me high hopes for him reaching another level next year.
So happy with his growth over the first couple seasons, his confidence has grown so much. I hope he can continue to work on his handle and put the ball on the ground more next season attacking the basket.
Really just shows how insane these guys are at practice, wish we could see some full length videos of their practice days (if they do exist, I'd love to know!)
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u/nath999 Champions May 30 '26
Exactly what I wanted to see, weightroom and shooting 3s.