A Jabari Bird evaluation

Eric Guilleminault offers evaluations after attending the adidas Nations event. The sole Nor Cal talent noted:

Jabari Bird 6-5 190 SG California So.

Until Sunday morning Bird had had zero impact at Nations. In fact his teammate and less heralded Jordan Mathews was having a better camp. Bird is a strong leaper but his handles aren't where they need to be for an NBA wing and he takes poor angles when he is attacking opponents off the dribble, making it appear that he has a slow first step. Because of how wide he dribbles the ball, on several occasions he either dribbled it off his foot or his opponent's foot. His jumper seemed a little flat and there was definite inconsistency in it's release. He was eager to make the pass to the post but tends to take too long to decide what he is going to do with the ball slowing down the tempo and flow of the game. He had a spectacular and 1 dunk on Sunday dunking with two hands in the morning session. He also made quicker decisions and as a result had more success. Foot speed, laterally in particular, is a concern with him.

Grist for the mill -- he is still an underclassman.