He is one of the few that has made it to the league on raw talent alone. It seems he has never played with anything more than instincts and physical ability. Coaches can’t do anything with him because there is no base to build from.
I was a big Tari supporter and said that once he cut down on mistakes he was going to be great. It's been years now and he keeps finding new mistakes to make and repeating the old ones. This isn't the first time he's forgotten to run down the clock. Can game awareness even be coached on this basic of a level?
A super active coach who is bigger than then his players, maybe. Game awareness is usually just part of being part of the game over the years. Learning from playing.
Tari started 34 games this season. He had started less than 20 total games in the previous 3 years. Was the first time in college or NBA that he wasn't just a bench spark plug. It takes time to re-adjust to this new role where you have to be more safe and patient. When you're a sparkplug, you're expected to be ultra agressive and take risks (transition, steals, blocks, heroic attacks on the rim). Habits take time to reprogram. He had a bad season in terms of driving to the basket. It's been hard for almost every single wing player we've ever had under Ime to meet expectations on drives. Durant, Amen, Cam, Reed, Jalen, FVV have all been below expectations on drives. They've had lots of turnovers or their efficiency has been below expectations. It's no surprise to me that someone starts on an Ime Udoka team and their production in drives regresses (note: does not mean the skill regressed). I think this season was a good stepping stone for him. He became an average shooter by volume and efficiency. He has improved his patience and IQ - though it's not enough. He still had some health issues but his health improved. Getting older is added maturity, I think that's the biggest thing he needs. I think he'll get a good offer on the market and whether we plan to keep him or not, we should match anything. Very good asset and any further improvement to his shooting over the summer will send his value thru the roof. Nuggets, Lakers, Philly, Cavs, Suns, Warriors, Clippers, Celtics and Spurs would want him if they had the means to get him. Other coaches will feel confident of getting him to play calmer.
I’ve shifted a little bit more into wanting to keep him. But that being said, he just does stupid things and especially the offensive rebound last night and attempting the shot was truly incredibly poor. That being said, if they feel good about his health, I’m probably valuing them slightly below Jabari Smith as far as what sort of contract I would match. I can see him getting 20 million but probably not a lot more than 25.
