Rodney Terry says Sir'Jabari Rice’s run to the NBA would be no surprise
Texas basketball coach Rodney Terry is high on the professional chances of former Longhorns guard Sir’Jabari Rice, who has been participating in the NBA Combine in hopes of earning a spot on a team or, at the very least, a place on a G-League roster.
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Terry, appearing in Houston on Tuesday as part of the Texas Fight Tour along with fellow coaches and Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, said Rice has the mix of talent and desire that can get him to the NBA.
“Sir’Jabari is a very good player,” Terry explained. “He’s one of those guys that from the first day of practice he just makes everyone else around him better. He’s a great teammate. He’s a highly competitive kid, and he got better and better as the season went along. Don’t be surprised if you look up next year and he’s on an NBA roster.”
Rice was one of eight new players to earn a spot at the combine after impressing scouts at the G-League Elite Camp in Chicago May 13-14. He averaged 14.5 points, three rebounds and two assists in two games during the camp and leading his team in scoring in both contests.
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Rice garnered the Big 12 Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year in his only season at Texas, finishing 2022-23 as the Longhorns’ second leading scorer (13 points per game) and as one of the Horns’ top 3-pointer shooters (.371 percent on 170 attempts from beyond the arc).
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Rice joins 85 other players, including former Longhorns’ forward Dillon Mitchell, at the Draft Combine, which runs through Sunday. According to the league, not all players will take part in workouts and scrimmages, but most will do interviews and medical testing.
