Hailing From Michael Jordan’s College, 22YO Jazz Center Gets a Shout-Out From $40,330,432 Worth Rockets Phenom

Nothing gets the fans as excited in the offseason as the NBA draft night. With poor teams expecting to draft the next generational talent that could change the fortunes of their franchise. And good teams looking to find diamonds in the rough, a player who could blossom into a future superstar. With each passing season, the spotlight on newly drafted players gets brighter and brighter. The future NBA stars have to handle more pressure than ever because of the constant scrutiny from social media.

22-year-old Utah Jazz center, who hails from Michael Jordan’s college, got a shout-out from the Houston Rockets phenom. And it was his father who played against LeBron.

College Buddies

Jabari Smith Jr. recently posted a story of his fellow draft mate and American international, Walker Kessler, on his Instagram handle. In the story, Smith Jr. tagged both Auburn University and Walker Kessler. Both Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler were on the same college team and were very good friends off the court.

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Before playing for the Houston Rockets, Jabari Smith represented Auburn University in the NCAA tournament. Walker Kessler also played for Auburn before putting on the Utah Jazz jersey. Both highly talented hoopers had very different expectations going into the draft night. Jabari Smith Jr. was projected to go No.1 on the night before being drafted by the Rockets at No.3. Whereas Walker Kessler was an unknown entity going into the draft night, his draft night comparison was Milwaukee Bucks center, Brook Lopez.

How did they fair in their first season?

Big things were expected when the Houston Rockets drafted Jabari Smith Jr. No.3 on draft night. While playing for Auburn, Jabari Smith Jr. was an elite-level shooter and everyone expected him to carry on that form into the NBA. His weakness was considered driving to the basket; they didn’t anticipate him to perform well in finishing near the rim. But Over his last 30 games, Smith Jr. is shooting 70 percent of shots at the rim, according to Cleaning the Glass, which is in the 80th percentile for a forward. He’s also shooting 60 percent on drives to the basket in his last 15 contests, according to Nba.com. Jabari Smith Jr. averaged 12.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.

Walker Kessler also thrived in his first season with the Utah Jazz. Many consider him the steal of the draft because of his defense and his imposing presence on the paint. Kessler averaged 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. This earned him a call-up to represent Team USA at the FIBA World Cup.

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