Gonzaga snags guard Malachi Smith
Gonzaga’s backcourt received a major boost on Thursday after Malachi Smith announced he will be joining the Zags next fall. The former Chattanooga Moc withdrew his name from the NBA draft pool on Wednesday to remain in the transfer portal.
The reigning SoCon player of the year, averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and three assists per game while playing over 35 minutes a night for the Mocs.
Entering his fifth season of college ball, Smith has shown a steady progression from being an unranked recruit out of high school to a bucket-getter in college. He didn’t receive many opportunities as freshman at Wright State, prompting a transfer to Chattanooga, where he broke out as one of the best three-level scorers in the conference. At 6-foot-4 and weighing 205 lbs., his frame also makes him a plus-rebounder for a guard like Joel Ayayi was for Gonzaga a few seasons ago.
Even as the go-to guy, Smith was an extremely efficient player for the Mocs. His 7.5-win shares was third best in the country, and he ranked inside the top-5 in the SoCon for box plus/minus and player efficiency rating. Smith shot 49% from the floor and 40% from deep.
Since entering the transfer portal in late April, Smith received interest from a few notable programs, including South Carolina and Duke.
It only took three days for Gonzaga’s uneventful offseason to become a reloading phase, as Rasir Bolton, Julian Strawther and Drew Timme announced they’ll be back in Spokane for another ride together over the last 72 hours. With the addition of Smith, Coach Few has another experienced veteran in the locker room that’s able to generate offense in more ways than one. He isn’t the playmaker Andrew Nembhard was, but his game will fit right into Gonzaga’s high-powered attack.
