If we told you there’s a big man prospect out there who was projected to the 2020 NBA Draft range of the Boston Celtics who claims to have modeled his game on Kevin Garnett, we’re assuming we’d have your interest, given the webpage your eyes are currently looking at.
And such a statement isn’t just conjecture, but paraphrases the words of 2020 draft prospect Jalen Smith, a product of the Maryland Terrapins.
The lanky but muscular big has an outside shot he hit 36.8% of the time in his sophomore season with Maryland while pulling down 10.5 rebounds and blocking 2.4 shots per game to go with the 15.5 points he scored per game.
Recent mock sees Boston go big in first round of 2020 NBA Draft https://t.co/K0efWhTrg4
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 9, 2020
“I always tried to model my game after Kevin Garnett. That’s one of the people I looked up to the most,” said Smith at his NBA Draft combine media availability session this week.
“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.”
If this doesn’t sell you on giving the former Terrapin a shot, a look at his game ought to.
While there are a host of other directions Boston’s front office could turn going into the draft, there’s few bigs projected in range of the Celtics No. 14 pick owed them by the Memphis Grizzlies.
He was recently projected to Boston in a mock draft put out earlier this week by Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman.
And, while not as ideal of a fit on the surface of USC’s Onyeka Okongwu, that he’s molded his game so closely on such an iconic Celtic flashing the sort of shooting, rim protection and rebounding that made the Big Ticket special is worth a serious look by Boston’s brass.
[jwplayer adztpkQZ]
[lawrence-related id=42447,42407,42330,42259]