So let me get this straight. Omri was picked #23, and took everyone by surprise with how quickly he could contribute. He played well in nov, very well as a starter in dec, continued solid play through most of jan, and started to slide leading up to allstar weekend. He seemed to crash or hit the wall right after the allstar break, and has played very poorly since then, for about the last 6-8 weeks.
If you look at his season as a whole, he has contributed much more than most players picked around him in the 20's. On top of that, he has the pressure of being the first Israeli player ever to play in the nba, and often has numerous interview and media requests when on the road. The pressure he's facing is not comparable to an american player coming out of college. On top of that, he's only 21, and adjusting to a new culture.
As recent as the 2nd half of jan, most here thought he was our future sf. Now, only 2 months later, we have fans who have decided he can be a decent backup at best, for the rest of his career. Nevermind looking at the history of the nba, the history of rookies, and the history of foreign rookies in this league, they jump to their own conclusions and attempt to forecast entire nba careers while throwing logic out the window completely. Dirk, both Gasol brothers, Tony Parker, Hedo, Bargnani, Bogut, Peja, and others, all stuggled immensely at times as rookies, and none resembled as rookies the players they developed into down the road.
It's also funny how some choose to ignore the fact that Omri is making the transition from Euro basketball to NBA basketball. Or the fact he played more as a pf and closer to the basket in Israel, while he is learning how to becomes a fulltime wing in the nba. I am not at all surprised at the struggles he's going through.
There is also the history of some kings fans saying this about numerous players in the past. I long time ago I heard the same things about Peja and Hedo. At that time no one thought Tony Parker would make it in the nba either, and that was only a year or two after Dirk getting hammered by the local media as an nba rookie. Then it was Kevin with us. Not many thought he would become a quality nba starter, or even approach that level. Recently, over the past year, JT, Spencer, Beno, and Donte have all been criticized for not being nba quality players. This summer I read on this forum numerous times that Donte simply wouldn't make it in the nba. Funny how things change.
I really question if some on here have ever watched an nba rookie develop over his first 3 seasons. Watched the ups and downs The rollercoaster ride most young players go through. This is normal for most rookie's, and most rookie's don't have all the national pressure and media attention Omri recieves from Israel. This is all about youth, transition to the nba, adapting to another culture, gaining experience, and really going through a full nba season for the first time. Omri will learn from this and be a better player because of it. He will know how to pace himself, and deal with the media attention much more effectively next season, and the following.
Will Omri be an allstar down the road, or one of the top sf's in the game? Who knows. Judging by what Dirk, Parker, Peja, and Hedo did as rookies, no one thought they would ever sniff an allstar game. To attempt to forecast a rookie's career is one of the most arrogant and ignorant things a fan can do. Just based off the improvemnt Donte has shown from last season to this, I have to wonder if some of there fans are blind, and only see what they want. Donte went from an NBDL player late last season, to the player who some want to see as our future sf, and arguably has more star potential than anyone on this team not named Tyreke. Apparently that is completely lost on some.
Sorry for the rant. Probably wasted my time given we will go through the same thing next year with whoever we end up drafting in June.
