AUBURN, Ala. — National Freshman of the Year Jabari Smith has announced via social media that he will be declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft.
Smith was absolutely phenomenal during his first and only season at Auburn. He averaged 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting an impressive 42.0% from three (best in the SEC). He was impactful for the Tigers on both ends of the floor, and really began to heat up during the final stretch of the season before unfortunately putting up his worst shooting performance of the year in Auburn's final game against Miami.
Here is what Jabari Smith had to say in his announcement video posted on Auburn basketball's social media.
Jabari was a five-star power forward out of Tyrone, Georgia. According to Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, Smith is the best jump shooter that he has ever coached. I don't think many Tiger fans would argue with that.
It's a shame that Smith's Auburn career ended the way that it did. But everyone knew that one way or another it was coming to an end this season. Right now, just about every NBA Mock Draft has Smith as a top three pick, either going to the Houston Rockets, the Orlando Magic, or the Detroit Pistons. He's likely going to be a star in the NBA.
