” This big cloud broke away from me. All that weight flew away and I started having fun again. » Jalen Smith summarize in a few words what his arrival in Indiana represents. It’s here that he begins to settle in as a starter after settling for a few crumbs of playing time early in his Phoenix career.
Not that he had a bad experience because he learned a lot from the 2021 finalists, especially from contact with a player like Chris Paul. But the fact is that the Suns wanted to win quickly, without being able to afford to wait for the development of a player who was drafted in 10th place in 2020.
Result: the strong winger was very little mobilized by Monty Williams. “ The Suns figured they had a two-year window to win a title and that developing a young player, despite his draft status, wasn’t a priority for them. I’m sure he was disappointed. But he’s also smart enough to understand that it’s a business. », believes Pat Clatcheyhis coach at Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore, Maryland.
” I know my son, he is a happy boy. Seeing that he didn’t smile all the time bothered me. I know he smiled often so as not to seem like a problem. He faced what came his way and he grew rapidly. This situation made him grow very quickly », recently judged his father Charles Smith to complete.
Prove Draft Status
This sincere smile, Jalen Smith seems to have found it since his transfer against Torrey Craig. After having chained good performances over the last quarter of last season (13 points and 8 rebounds on average), he left even stronger this year with 14 points and 8.5 rebounds on average, now starting.
His averages would also be higher if he had not been hit in the face against Spurs in the second game of the season, forcing him to join the locker room after just seven minutes of play.
” He entered the pitch with a different posture and disposition at the very start of the game. Maybe he had to get hit in the face last game because you’re going to take some hits if you’re not ready to play. He was ready to play tonight. He was brilliant », congratulated Rick Carlisleafter his next game, against Detroit, his strongest outing so far: 19 points (9/16 on shots), 15 rebounds and 3 blocks.
It’s exactly the kind of performance that comes as a reminder to everyone why the former Maryland star was chosen in 10th place in 2020.
” That would prove that I was drafted to the position I was to be drafted to. We wondered why I had been chosen so high and ‘blah-blah-blah’. I use it as motivation to prove why I deserved to be where I was, and then try to prove myself in the league “, Displays the 22-year-old player.
| Jalen Smith | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2020-21 | PHX | 27 | 6 | 44.0 | 23.5 | 71.4 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 2.0 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 51 | 18 | 50.3 | 32.8 | 76.5 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 9.2 |
| 2021-22 * | PHX | 29 | 13 | 46.0 | 23.1 | 76.9 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 4.8 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 6.0 |
| 2021-22 * | IND | 22 | 25 | 53.1 | 37.3 | 76.0 | 2.1 | 5.6 | 7.6 | 0.8 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 13.4 |
| 2022-23 | IND | 5 | 22 | 50.9 | 31.8 | 60.0 | 2.0 | 6.8 | 8.8 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 13.8 |
| Total | 83 | 14 | 49.7 | 31.7 | 74.8 | 1.4 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 7.1 | |
