2022 NBA Draft - Jabari Smith

As many NBA fans are aware, Jabari Smith is the 3rd pick of this years NBA draft (2022-23). 

He got drafted by Houston Rockets, after his successful college season at Auburn. He is one of 

the top prospects in the draft, he is 6'10, he plays the forward position, and he is 20 years old with a very 

high ceiling. 

In todays blog, I will be analyzing Jabari's offensive pros/cons, and defensive 

pros/cons. Moreover, I will be analyzing how good he is overall, and his fit on the Rockets players 

system. This is a continuation of the 2022 NBA Draft series, where I made similar reports about Chet a 

Paolo, the #2 pick and #3 picks of this years draft. 

    Jabari Smith - #3 Pick of the 2022 NBA Draft

About Jabari:

Jabari Smith Jr. (born May 13th, 2003) is a 19 year old prospect that went #3 in this years draft, and he is a current forward for the Houston Rockets. His early career started when he was playing Varsity basketball, as a sophomore at Sandy Creek High School. As a Junior, he put up terrific statistics, he averaged 24.5 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 2.8 BPG. As a senior, he put up 24 PPG, 3 SPG, 3 BPG, and 10 RPG.

Smith was one of the top prospects in the 2021 draft class, and he was a 5 star recruit according to several different scouting agencies. In 2020, he committed to playing with Auburn for College basketball.

He averaged 16.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1 BPG at Auburn College. He placed 4th in the RCSI top 100.

 Offensive Pros + Cons:

PROS	CONS
- Tall forward with impressive shooting ability from the perimeter	- Still developing as a slasher and ball handler
- More fluid and consistent than explosive on the offensive floor	- Lacks some strength to attack in the paint
- Excellent mechanics, footwork, and rotations for a forward.	- usually settles in perimeter jumpers instead of taking the ball to the rim
- Comfortable with jumpers in any situation	- Less versatile on the offensive floor
- Long wingspan allows him to score at all three levels and to shoot over anyone.
- Among the best pull up jumpers in the country

Defensive Pros + Cons:

PROS	CONS
- Active, relentless defender	- Still needs to improve with rebounding as a forward
- Good on ball defender, and contains good lateral quickness
- Versatile defense allows him to guard in the paint and on the perimeter
- Great size, and he contains physical defensive capabilities. Good IQ and decision making on the defensive end

Overall:

Jabari Smith Jr. is a great, fluid player on offense. He can shoot the ball from the perimeter effectively, due to his nice pull up jumper. Additionally, he has excellent footwork, mechanics, and excellent IQ on both the offensive and defensive floor. He is tall (6'10) with a large wingspan which allows him to shoot over defenders. If he is able to develop more strength, and ball handling skills, he will have zero holes in his game, and will form to be an elite forward in the NBA. 

Jabari's fit on ROCKETS:

Jabari and the rockets will get along well, because Rockets can build around a well rounded team of elite shooters and defenders. Jabari will work with other forwards and centers on the Rockets, such as Sengun, and Woods. Having Jabari will allow the Rockets to spread the floor, including 3pt shooting.

With Jabari not being a good ball handler, however, Houston should rebuild for next season (2023 season), by targeting playmaking wing players, such as Scoot Henderson