Jalen Smith wants a Brooklyn uniform with his name on the back. But should Nets fans be excited about the prospect of the University of Maryland forward being the organization’s first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft?
Of course, it’s a great sign when young players see Brooklyn as a desirable place to play. That doesn’t necessarily help win games though.
What does is the fact Smith is a big who has a presence in the paint on the defensive end, and he improved his 3-point shooting efficiency from his freshman year (26.8%) to his sophomore year (36.8%) at Maryland by 10%.
And while he looks up to Kevin Durant, he’s used a different Kevin as inspiration for his game.
“I always tried to model my game after Kevin Garnett. That’s one of the people I looked up to the most,” Smith told reporters on a Zoom call, per Biran Lewis of The New York Post. “He was considered one of the small bigs in the league, but he always had that impact on it. His work ethic never trickled no matter what, he was having a good game or a bad game, and I always looked up to him just to keep that mentality and that mindset.”