NCAA Basketball Roundtable: Worst Big 12 team, Jabari Smith No. 1 pick?

5. Where should Jabari Smith go in the NBA Draft?

Mauro 

I would never claim I am an NBA draft expert but Jabari Smith may be the number one pick in the draft.  He is a 6’10” star.  He can protect the rim, run the floor, run the point, and is deadly from deep.  There is a lot to like with Smith and he has a slew of NBA scouts at every one of his games.  He is going to be a one-and-done almost guaranteed.  He is consistent every night and that is likely going to earn him number one overall.

Burgess

Even though it seems like a guy with the skillset of Jabari Smith is becoming more commonplace, Smith should be a surefire top-5 pick. A GM is going to fall in love with his 6’10 frame with that athleticism that can step out on the perimeter and score at all three levels.

Melton

A lock to go top 3. People will obviously debate Smith with Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero on who is No. 1 overall, but there is no denying that Smith’s overall skill-set is one of the tops in the 2022 draft.

Heiser

I’m still going through my preliminary scouting for the 2022 NBA Draft, but based on upside, Jabari Smith should be a top-five pick. He’s got a very well-rounded game: shoots the three, good at jumping passing lanes to create turnovers, solid passer, etc. He’s obviously got room to improve in a few areas, but he’s also just 18 years old. I could see him turning into a Jaren Jackson-type player, which is certainly worth a high pick in the draft.

Zacher

Well, let’s state the obvious: as of now, he’s one of the top two choices in the draft, alongside Duke’s Paolo Banchero.  The mystery comes in whether Smith is the number one guy or number two – and, if I were choosing now, I’d take him with the number one overall pick.  Banchero, arguably, hasn’t even been the best player on his team – and that’s not a knock-on-the-star freshman, because he hasn’t disappointed at all, but Smith has just made that dramatic of a leap in his freshman campaign.

At 6-10, Smith is leading Auburn in scoring, is shooting an obscene 45.6% from beyond the arc, he can get to the line easily – which includes a 12-12 mark in the double-overtime loss to UConn – and has a relentless nose for rebounds.  He hardly commits fouls, either; the UConn game and a win over UCF are the only tilts where he’s had at least three fouls.

Smith is smart and disciplined, and he’s shown few flaws in his game in this opening stretch of the 2021-22 season.  There’s not a clear-cut choice for the top pick like Cade Cunningham or Zion Williamson, but Jabari Smith would be my choice for number one.