NBA Draft Board: Auburn’s Jabari Smith Jr.
In the 2022 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder own two selections in the lottery. One of the prospects who could fall in that range is Jabari Smith Jr., who most recently played at Auburn.
Profile:
The player that’s widely expected to be take with the No. 1 overall pick is Smith, who has incredible two-way talent. Standing at 6-foot-11, the versatile forward is an elite shooter and tremendous defender.
Strengths:
In his lone college season, Smith was one of the best 3-point shooters in the entire country. What made that even more impressive was doing it at his size. It’s rare to find a player that’s nearly seven feet tall that is a sniper from deep.
On the other side of the ball, Smith was one of the most impactful defenders in this entire class. Whether it was around the rim or on the perimeter, he made life difficult for opposing offenses.
Weaknesses:
The knock on Smith is his ability to create his own shot and get a bucket when his team needs one. As good of a shooter and scorer that he is, the shot selection was poor at times last season.
If Smith is going to end up being worthy of a No. 1 pick, he’ll need to be capable of being the top guy on a playoff team one day. To do that, he’ll need to be more than just a great shooter. The isolation game is becoming increasingly important in the modern NBA.
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