Auburn power forward Jabari Smith has declared for the 2022 NBA Draft, he announced on social media.
Smith, a freshman, averaged 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Tigers, starting in all 34 games. He was also named NABC Freshman of the Year.
Some mock drafts have Smith being taken with the No. 1 overall pick, and almost all of the notable ones have him being selected in the top three. Scouts seem to believe his 3-of-16 shooting performance in Auburn’s NCAA Tournament loss to Miami won’t impact Smith’s draft status.
"Auburn will forever be my home." – @jabarismithll #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/36zVCThC91
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) April 5, 2022
“Smith will still be a top-3 draft pick ultimately, but his chances of going No. 1 got a little bit smaller with this surprising upset, even if he’ll surely still receive strong consideration depending on which team gets the pick,” wrote ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
ESPN currently has Smith being selected second, behind Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren.
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