The fates of future NBA stars have been decided as the NBA proceeds with this year?s draft. A lot of well-known names are in the pool who have made their names in college leagues. Franchises attempt to strengthen their team and scout the next potential star player for the league. Amid this Jabari Smith Jr, a player known as the ?next Kevin Durant? has a message for the whole league.
Jabari Smith Jr has been drafted by Houston Rockets and was the 3rd overall pick from this year?s pool. He has earned the tag of ?next Kevin Durant? due to his hard work and performance. Malika Andrews, Kendrick Perkins, and Bobby Marks invited the newly drafted star on ESPN after his draft.
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On being asked if he had a message for Houston fans, he said, ?You are getting a hard worker. You are getting somebody who is coming with a chip on their shoulder, somebody who is going to come in and compete from day one. Somebody who don?t care about stats.?
He also added, ?You are getting a hardworking competitor, somebody who don?t like to lose. All I care about this is that W’s.?
Why is Jabari Smith Jr called the next Kevin Durant?
Last year, Jabari Smith Jr. was a standout freshman at Auburn. He was the Tigers’ top scorer and made 42% of his three-point attempts for a group that eventually received the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. According to Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, he is the best shooting big man in college basketball for more than a decade.
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As per 247 sports, one of the NBA scouts said, ?The comfort level he has in the halfcourt is the biggest thing. He thinks he can make any shot over anyone. That smooth confidence is big for the league. There’s some shades of Kevin Durant in there. He’s not scoring that much, but Auburn doesn’t ask him to be the same kind of player (Durant) was at Texas.?
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The young man has a lot to prove now that he has openly made these statements. Let?s see if he can change the scene for the Rockets or not. Where do you see Houston Rockets finishing next season? Let us know in the comments!