Jalen Smith
Smith with Indiana Pacers in 2022
No. 25 – Indiana Pacers
PositionCenter / power forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2000-03-16) March 16, 2000
Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolMount Saint Joseph
(Baltimore, Maryland)
CollegeMaryland (2018–2020)
NBA draft2020: 1st round, 10th overall pick
Selected by the Phoenix Suns
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2022Phoenix Suns
2021→Agua Caliente Clippers
2022–presentIndiana Pacers
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Jalen Rasheed Smith (born March 16, 2000) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association. Nicknamed "Stix", he played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins.

Smith was picked 10th overall in the 2020 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns. During his rookie season with the Suns, he reached the NBA Finals. In February 2022, he was traded to the Pacers.

Early life and high school career

Smith was born in Portsmouth, Virginia to Charles and Orletha Smith.[1] Smith attended Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Maryland where he averaged 22.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game as a senior and won several awards, among them, the Gatorade Maryland Boys Basketball Player of the Year twice.[2] He was named to the 2018 McDonald's All-American team.[3]

Recruiting

Smith was ranked among the top 25 prospects of the 2018 recruiting class by Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN. He was also ranked as one of the top prospects at his position by all three scouting services.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen Smith
PF		 Baltimore, MD Mount Saint Joseph (MD) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Jun 26, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 24  247Sports: 15  ESPN: 10
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Maryland 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  • "2018 Maryland Terrapins Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.

College career

Smith with Maryland in 2020

On November 8, 2017, Smith signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Maryland after verbally committing in June.[4] He selected Maryland over programs such as Villanova and Virginia.[5] As a freshman, he averaged 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He had 19 points and 12 rebounds in a 79–77 win over Belmont in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament. In the next game, a 69–67 loss to LSU, Smith finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five blocks.[6]

On December 4, 2019, Smith finished with 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a 72–51 win against Notre Dame.[7] On January 21, 2020, Smith scored a career-high 25 points and had 11 rebounds in a come-from-behind 77–66 win over Northwestern.[8] At the close of the regular season, Smith was named to the First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media and the Defensive Team by the coaches.[9] He was named Third Team All-American by the Associated Press and The Sporting News.[10][11] He averaged 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game as a sophomore.[12] After the season, Smith declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[13]

Professional career

Phoenix Suns (2020–2022)

Smith was selected by the Phoenix Suns as the 10th pick of the first round of the 2020 NBA draft.[14] On November 24, 2020, the Phoenix Suns announced that they had signed Smith.[15]

On February 15, 2021, due to the team's success and after appearing in only eight games, the Suns assigned Smith to the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBA G League.[16] On February 26, 2021, the Suns recalled Smith.[17] Smith ended his rookie season by making the NBA Finals, but the Suns were defeated in 6 games by the Milwaukee Bucks, as well as future Pacers teammate Jordan Nwora.

Indiana Pacers (2022–present)

On February 10, 2022, Smith was traded to the Indiana Pacers along with a future second-round draft pick in exchange for Torrey Craig.[18]

On July 1, 2022, Smith re-signed with the Pacers on a two-year deal worth $9.6 million. After the signing, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle announced Smith would be a starter and considered him an "important part of our future."[19] On November 18, Smith posted a career–high 18 rebounds to go along with 10 points and 3 blocks in a win over the Houston Rockets.[20] On November 27, Smith recorded a career–high 23 points on 8–14 shooting along with 9 rebounds in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.[21] Starting in December, Smith would move in and out of the starting lineup, alongside Aaron Nesmith, for the remainder of the season.

Smith earned the backup center role behind Myles Turner for the 2023–24 season. On November 8, 2023, he recorded his first double–double of the season with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block, on 5–8 shooting from the field in a win over the Utah Jazz.[22]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Phoenix 2715.8.440.235.7141.4.1.0.22.0
2021–22 Phoenix 29413.2.460.231.7694.8.2.2.66.0
Indiana 22424.7.531.373.7607.6.8.41.013.4
2022–23 Indiana 683118.8.476.283.7595.81.0.3.99.4
Career 1464016.2.485.297.7605.1.6.3.78.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Phoenix 603.0.5001.000—.8.2.0.0.8
Career 603.0.5001.000—.8.2.0.0.8

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Maryland 333326.7.492.268.6586.8.9.41.211.7
2019–20 Maryland 313131.3.538.368.75010.5.8.72.415.5
Career 646428.9.516.323.7098.6.8.61.813.5

Personal life

His father, Charles, is a retired Navy Chief.[23] Smith goes by the nickname, "Stix", though after bulking up for the 2019–20 season, he has been referred to as "Logs" by head coach Mark Turgeon.[24]

References

  1. ↑ "USA Basketball Bio". usab.com. USA Basketball. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  2. ↑ Cann, Harrison (March 30, 2018). "Jalen Smith made Terps fans excited about the future at the McDonald's All-American Game". The Diamondback. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  3. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (March 23, 2023). "Top players named to McDonald's All-American teams". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  4. ↑ Ermann, Jeff (November 8, 2017). ""Sticks" is on Board with Maryland". 247sports.com. 247Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  5. ↑ Geary, Molly (August 21, 2018). "Jalen Smith Is a Crucial Piece for Maryland as the Terps Aim for a Bounce-Back Year". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  6. ↑ Markus, Don (April 8, 2019). "Jalen Smith will return for sophomore year at Maryland for a multitude of reasons — including his education". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Jalen Smith's double-double helps Maryland rout Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 4, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  8. ↑ Markus, Don (January 21, 2020). "Sparked by Jalen Smith and 'street ball,' No. 17 Maryland overcomes 15-point deficit to beat Northwestern, 77–66". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Top Flyer: Dayton's Obi Toppin leads AP All-American team". FoxSports.com. Associated Press. March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  11. ↑ DeCourcy, Mike (March 11, 2020). "Sporting News' 2019-20 college basketball All-Americans". Sporting News. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  12. ↑ Oyefusi, Daniel (March 20, 2020). "Maryland's Jalen Smith named to AP's All-America men's basketball team". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  13. ↑ Phillips, Scott (April 7, 2020). "Maryland's Jalen Smith declares for NBA draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  14. ↑ Oyefusi, Daniel (November 18, 2020). "Maryland's Jalen Smith selected No. 10 overall by Phoenix Suns in NBA draft". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Suns sign Jalen Smith & Ty-Shon Alexander". NBA.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Phoenix Suns assign rookie Jalen Smith to NBA G League". arizonasports.com. February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Jalen Smith recalled from G League by Phoenix Suns". Arizona Sports. February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Pacers Acquire Jalen Smith and 2022 Second-Round Pick from Suns". NBA.com. February 10, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Rick Carlisle calls Jalen Smith an 'important part of our future'". HoopsHype.com. November 3, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Jalen Smith Grabs 18 Rebounds Friday Night". FantasyPros.com. November 18, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Jalen Smith had his most points in a game versus the Clippers on November 27, with 23 points". StatMuse.com. November 27, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Pacers' Jalen Smith: Double-double off bench". CBSSports.com. November 9, 2023.
  23. ↑ Markus, Don (May 28, 2018). "Mount Saint Joseph's Jalen Smith will have big expectations, big role as Maryland freshman". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Jalen Smith Maryland Bio".
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