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Auburn Tigers freshman forward Jabari Smith Jr. has arguably been one of the most impressive players in college basketball this year. Smith exploded into the spotlight with his eye-opening production for Auburn throughout the 2021-22 NCAA season.
After continuing to dazzle college basketball fans with his play on both sides of the floor this year, the 6'10" forward was preparing for his much anticipated debut in the opening round of March Madness.
It didn't take long for Smith to pick up where he left off, as he went on to post a final statline of 20 points, 14 rebounds and four assists in the team's 80-61 victory over Jacksonville State. Although the Auburn freshman made a statement with his first performance of the NCAA tournament, it wasn't the box score that made fans buzz with excitement.
Near the end of the game, Smith had a monster poster slam that got the entire arena roaring. The Auburn forward was asked about the vicious dunk during the postgame press conference and admitted he didn't even know if he could make it at first.
“I didn’t think I could make it until I was jumping, and I’m like ‘I could really dunk on him,'” he said.
Auburn freshman Jabari Smith Jr. Impresses in Opening Round game
Since coming into the 2021-22 NCAA season as a potential top-10 selection, Auburn freshman forward Jabari Smith Jr. has become one of the hottest names in college basketball. A former five-star recruit out of high school, it was expected that Smith would have the potential to be a floor spacing asset with Auburn this year. Nobody saw this type of play coming from Smith, and he's now found himself a legit candidate to be selected first overall in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Listed at 6'10", 220 pounds, Smith has had NBA scouts buzzing throughout the year with his impressive display of versatility on both sides of the ball. The 18-year-old forward has not only shown the ability to be a multi-level scorer on the court, but he's also shown the potential to be a disruptive defender as well. NBA teams continue to be fascinated with Smith as he has the ability to stretch the floor from three-point range with relative ease.
The basketball world will be watching closely to see if Auburn Tigers freshman forward Jabari Smith Jr. can lead the team to a deep run in the NCAA tournament. For a player that was once viewed as a potential lottery selection in the upcoming NBA Draft, it would seem a relative surprise if the 18-year-old forward isn't one of the first names called on Draft day.
