Toronto Raptors: 8 players to eye in the 2020 NBA Draft
By Nate Friesen
7. Jalen Smith (Maryland)
Best-case comparison: Myles Turner; Realistic comparison: Serge Ibaka
Jalen Smith is a 6’10″ athletic, defense-first center out of Maryland. He would fit well for the Raptors coming off the bench in the Chris Boucher role until Gasol and Ibaka are gone and then he could slide in perfectly alongside Siakam.
Smith runs the floor well for a big man and can shoot the ball at a high level. This past season at Maryland, Smith shot 36.8 percent from three on 2.8 attempts per game. This will help him immensely in the NBA. He is also a super athletic defender that has a knack for blocking shots, having averaged 2.4 blocks per game this season.
While he is super long and athletic, his ability to get defensive rebounds is based purely on his size at the college level. He will need to work on properly boxing out, rather than just jumping higher and being bigger than his opponent when he gets to the NBA.
Jalen Smith will be successful in the NBA by being a great defense-first center that can step outside and hit 3-pointers at a decent clip. However, I see Smith as somewhat of a low-ceiling player with a high-floor. Essentially, he will be a very good NBA player for many years, but he isn’t likely to become a ten-time All-Star, which could work for the Raptors.