Auburn Basketball: Tigers bounce back with five-star commit Jabari Smith
Huge news for Auburn Basketball, landing five-star power forward prospect Jabari Smith for the 2021 recruiting class.
It’s been a roller coaster past week for Auburn Basketball on the recruiting trail. After missing out on one five-star prospect, they were able to land another one in Jabari Smith. A consensus top-10 overall recruit from Tyrone, Georgia, the 6’10 big man is considered the top natural power forward in the entire 2021 class.
Smith is a dynamic offensive threat that can score 20+ ppg as a freshman, with a game already set for the professional level. That’s why there were talks that the star prospect could go to the NBA G League, as others did in the last recruiting class.
But his decision to forego the pros, for now, gave six perspective programs hopes of landing a five-star talent. This past week, Smith listed his options, seemingly without a clear favorite. Some of the real contenders included local options Georgia and Georgia Tech, as well as Auburn and Tennessee.
110 percent committed 🦅🦅🦅 WAR EAGLE. https://t.co/3ISpqcGn3G pic.twitter.com/o4779xTnND
— Jabari Smith Jr (@jabarismithjr) October 9, 2020
For the Tigers, landing Smith was just about a “must”, considering that they missed out on five-star point guard recruit JD Davison to rival Alabama of all teams. It was a big blow since they were viewed as the favorites for him at one point and after losing their top six scorers from last season, needs to reload for the future.
After losing Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley among others, Auburn’s frontcourt will likely rely on top-50 freshman JT Thor and another newcomer in center Dylan Cardwell. With no seniors and just two juniors on scholarship, the Tigers could potentially bring everyone back, gaining a year of experience.
However, there’s a strong chance that incoming five-star freshman point guard Sharife Cooper could have a huge campaign and go pro next offseason. Yet Smith’s pending arrival could give him cause to pause if his draft stock isn’t as high, as he’ll have even more talent to work with for the 2021-22 season.
Next. Preseason SEC power rankings for 2020-21. dark
It’s a long way before Jabari Smith would end up on campus and a ton of things could happen. But for now, the Tigers land one of the highest-rated high school players in program history and makes up for losing out on another five-star target. With few scholarships left, Auburn Basketball may be done. But don’t be surprised if they try to land another quality commitment in the 2021 class.