The NBA draft class of 2022 is near. There are many young talented basketball players making their way into the NBA. Among those players is a 6’10, 220lb from Fayetteville, GA Jabari Smith Jr.
He is one of the best prospects for the 2022 draft class. He will surely be among the top 5 picks. Speaking ahead of the draft, Jabari Smith revealed who inspires his playing style.
“I wouldn’t say one player, I try to watch Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, a lot of guys who can do a lot Giannis, Anthony Davis. Those types of guys who can just play multiple positions, guard multiple positions and just do it all”. Smith said.
2022 #NBADraft prospect Jabari Smith Jr. on studying the games of NBA All-Stars such as Giannis, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, and Kevin Durant.#NBADraft presented by State Farm
Tomorrow at 8 PM ET on ABC & ESPN pic.twitter.com/7WtnTlhkgC— NBA (@NBA) June 22, 2022
Clearly, we can see his mind in the right direction. Jabari Smith is adapting to the new style of basketball which is positionless basketball.
He wants to defend people of his size and smaller quicker guards like Giannis and Tatum all while being able to spread the floor like KD and AD.
He certainly has the ability to do as he can shoot the ball with high efficiency. However, defense is more about heart and desire than skills, he’ll have to prove himself on the defensive end.
Jabari Smith Jr. scouting report: Strengths and Weaknesses
Jabari Smith Jr. is 6’10 with a wingspan of 7 feet. He is an athletic Forward who has the ability to switch from Power Forward to Center position and all the athletic tools to succeed at the next level.
In college, he and his team went on 19 games winning streak and ended up with a record of 28-6. He averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2 assists on 42% from behind the arc as a freshman.
STRENGTHS
Shooting- As seen above, he is an efficient shooter, he might have the best jumper in his draft class. A 6’10 player having the best shooting in his draft class is certainly a big advantage. He can create shots off the dribble sometimes and is a great catch-and-shooter from behind the arc.
while Jabari Smith jr. can constantly hit catch and shoots over the defender. pic.twitter.com/i86W9d2Fy2
— The Undortaker (@t_o_door7) June 16, 2022
Great Footwork- Even at a young age he has fluid footwork and knows how to use his size to his advantage. He is patient when playing back to the basket and will punish any mismatch inside the paint.
Defense- The other 50% of his game which is defense is also good. He is mobile and can easily switch from 3 to 5 defensively. He can even go up on the perimeter to guard smaller, quicker players, which is a must in today’s positionless basketball.
WEAKNESSES
Even though he has good shooting touch but in college, most of his shots were catch and shoot. He certainly can shoot it off the dribble, but it is still subpar, and has to work on his dribbling as well as shooting off the dribble.
Even though he has the size to be a great rim protector, he hasn’t shown much potential guarding the rim. At 6’10 he is averaging just 1 block per game in college.
Even though Smith has a lot of upsides, it’ll remain to see if he can handle the NBA talent. The teams are not looking for a role player, they want a star, all-star caliber to move ahead,.
