Jabari Smith reveals biggest lesson learned at Auburn

Jabari Smith is a likely top-three choice in the 2022 NBA Draft and in contention to be the no. 1 overall pick to the Orlando Magic after spending one year at Auburn. The future pro believes he owes a lot of credit for his rise up the draft boards to time spent at college. Smith expressed he grew a lot as a player and as a person off the court.

During a recent interview, Smith was asked what his biggest takeaway was from a year playing college ball at Auburn. He answered, “relationships. How important it is to build relationships with your teammates.” Perhaps the chemistry between Smith and his Auburn teammates was a big reason why the Tigers had one of their most successful regular seasons in school history.

The Tiger forward also stressed the importance of developing outside of basketball in college. “Basketball’s fun, don’t take it for granted,” Smith said. Adding that, “college is a great experience in general.”

Jabari Smith is quite fond of his days at Auburn. Even if he was there for less than a year, he believes Bruce Pearl and Auburn shaped him for the better on his journey to the NBA.

College basketball insider breaks down why Jabari Smith should be top NBA Draft pick

This year’s NBA draft is deep with talent at the top, and there is no clear-cut player who is the consensus number one overall pick. Right now, the three most likely players to be selected number first in the 2022 NBA Draft are Auburn Tigers forward Jabari Smith, Duke Blue Devils forward Paolo Banchero, and Gonzaga Bulldogs Chet Holmgren.

Despite the battle to be the No. 1 pick, college basketball expert Jeff Goodman believes Smith is the obvious choice to earn that privilege. And on Friday, he broke down why the former Auburn star should be the top pick in the NBA Draft.

“Smith is a favorite at minus-200 to be selected first overall and for good reason. He’s a six-foot-10, skilled and versatile forward that shot 42 percent from 3 as a freshman, last season; and (he) was productive, averaging 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest,” said Goodman.

Auburn finished 28-6 overall and 15-3 in SEC play this season that’s to their freshman star. Smith also had a huge debut in the NCAA Tournament, dropping 20 points as Auburn cruised past Jacksonville State. But the Tigers fell to Miami in the second round of the big dance, ending their season.