Before you lose your collective shit over who they did or didn't draft. Do some research on the kid. I'll help you out.
Born March 16th, 2000 in Portsmouth Virginia. His father is a retired Navy Chief. He attended high school at a catholic school in Baltimore where he earned the Maryland high school player of the year award twice. He was a 2018 High School All-American and unanimous 5-star prospect.
He was selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2019 and third team All-American in 2020 (FWIW). He played in two tournament games in 2019, going for 19/12 in a win over Belmot and 15/8 with 5 blocks in a loss to LSU. His career high in points was 25 against Northwestern this past January.
Media Evaluations:
Kevin O'Connor - The Ringer
nbadraftroom.comCoordinated big man who can shoot and handle the ball, though he’ll need to make strides on defense to become a full-time starter.
SHADES OF: Serge Ibaka, Kelly Olynyk, Thomas Bryant
PLUSES
Talented shooter with sound mechanics. He excels off screens and handoffs. His size and position make him even more valuable.
Dynamic screening threat: He sets strong, fundamental picks, and forces defenses to respect his ability to dive to the rim or pop out for a 3.
Good interior finisher with either hand. He has touch, and he can finish with power, especially on putbacks when crashing the boards.
Runs the floor hard. He’ll beat defenses for dunks and layups, but he can also trail and drain 3s.
High-motor, high-IQ defender. Solid shot blocker with a savvy sense of timing. Boxes out on the boards and rebounds well.
MINUSES
A bit slow to elevate around the rim. He excelled in college but will need to become quicker in the pros.
Doesn’t establish deep seals to get ideal post positioning due to his weak lower-body strength.
Subpar passer. He panics when pressured, especially on the post. Even when he has space, he telegraphs passes like a quarterback staring down his receiver.
Lacks agility changing directions, which especially hurts him on defense. Even if he recognizes a play, he can be a beat late.
Stiff lateral movements hurt his pick-and-roll and perimeter defense. Guards blow by him too often. He needs to put in significant work on his body, especially his hips, to improve quickness.
A very intriguing 6-10 forward from Maryland who definitely passes the eye test when he steps onto the floor, Jalen Smith is a likely mid first round pick in the 2020 NBA draft. Last year he made a good decision to return to school for a second season and now he’s well positioned to get that first round money. He added a lot to his game from one year to the next, showing a much improved 3pt shot, better muscle, mass and strength and he took the next step with his decision making and basketball IQ.
Strengths
Makes the game look easy – smooth leaper and fluid athlete with speed, change of direction and natural ability
Can really get off the ground and is very quick to the rim
Uses ball fakes well. Has quick hands and knows how to keep the ball high. Has a lot of burst.
Attacks the offensive glass and gets a lot of stick(s)-back dunks
A righty who has an advanced left hand, dribbling, scoring and blocking shots
Shows promise as a multi-dimensional offensive threat, with a face-up game and 3 point shooting range
A disciplined defender who keeps his feet and jumps second – can block shots with either hand and is very quick off the ground
A hard worker who puts in the effort to improve his game and add strength to his frame
A very grounded and humble young man
Weaknesses
Has a thin frame and a very light lower body
Needs to add upper body strength but will likely always be more of a finesse big-man, especially at the next level
Comparisons
P.J. Brown
Aran Smith - NBAdraft.net
High SchoolNBA Comparison: Taj Gibson
Strengths: A long, versatile power forward with solid all around skill set … Possesses a 7’2 wingspan and 6’10 height … Shows the ability to contribute in a variety of ways, and on both ends of the floor … Showed intriguing development from his freshman to sophomore seasons … Has developed into a quality outside shooter, showing the range to knock down the three ball at a solid clip, making one per game at 36.8% … Also improved as a FT shooter, raising his average from 65 to 75% in his sophomore year … His ability to shoot on top of the length and athleticism makes him an intriguing option in today’s shot-centric league … A quality defender … Shows a solid ability to block shots utilizing long arms, leaping ability and excellent instincts to read and react opponents around the paint … Smith is a cerebral player, and shows good decision making ability … Productive college player, who played with consistency and energy … Has very good size and length at 6’10 with a 7’1.5 wingspan … Runs the floor hard, and does a solid job of finishing on the break … Shows some solid post skills with the ability to hit baby hooks as well as create baskets with polished interior moves … Considered a great kid, very hard working and intelligent …
Weaknesses: While he is bouncy, he is not the most fluid of athletes … Hips appear stiff and doesn’t show great flexibility … His post moves can look somewhat robotic at times … Worked hard in the off-season to add strength and bulk, but his legs still appear very thin, and somewhat underdeveloped … Whether his lack of leg mass / body symmetry creates an injury concern is something that team doctors would need to address … Jump shot is effective but takes a little while to get off. Can improve upon making his shot more concise and have less range of motion over time … May take some time to extend his shot to become an effective NBA three point shooter but the hope is obviously … Lacks great ball handling ability to create offense for himself off the dribble … Movements appear stiff and robotic at times, doesn’t always make things look sexy, but he’s obviously very effective in his role …
Overall: Despite being just 225 lbs, today’s game seems to have gone away from strength with spacing and skill being of more importance in big men … Smith is considered by most scouts as a likely first rounder … Was able to add 15 lbs of muscle to his frame showing better ability to handle contact in the post in his sophomore season …
Notes: Notes: Measured: 6’9.25” barefoot, 6’10.25” in shoes, 9’2.00” standing reach, 224.6 lbs, and 7’2.25” wingspan at the 2020 NBA Combine … Nicknamed “stix” due to his svelte frame, particularly during high school … Came into college as the 16th rated recruit by 247sports and 10th overall by ESPN … Some considered him a likely one and done lottery pick entering Maryland … And he was arguably one of the top freshman to return to college for his sophomore season …
Freshman Season
Sophomore Season