SEC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

11. Jabari Smith

One of the nation’s top prospects in the Class of 2021, Smith is a 6’10 forward from Fayetteville, Georgia who joined Bruce Pearl’s program and had a wild ride. He would spend just his freshman season in the SEC at Auburn but showed plenty of talent and potential during those nearly three dozen games with the Tigers.

In his lone collegiate season, Smith averaged 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while making 42% of his 3-pointers. He was part of perhaps the nation’s best frontcourt and helped lead Auburn to a regular season SEC title. He scored a career-high 31 points late in the year against Vanderbilt and had a pair of double-doubles in the Big Dance, though the Tigers were upended in the second round of that 2022 NCAA Tournament by Miami.

Regardless of how the season ended, Smith proved to be a significant frontcourt weapon while at Auburn. He was named a Second Team All-American, the SEC Rookie of the Year, and won several other Freshman of the Year awards at the national level. Smith was a potent shooter, rebounder, and shot blocker, playing an impactful role with the Tigers. Leaving college after that season, he was taken 3rd overall in the 2022 NBA Draft.