Jabari Smith Undecided on 2022 NBA Draft Status After Auburn’s Loss to Miami

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Auburn star Jabari Smith may be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, but he isn’t sure if his collegiate career is done at this point.

“I don’t know yet,” he said of his future after Sunday’s 79-61 loss to Miami in the round of 32 in the 2022 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, per Tom Green of AL.com.

Smith’s offensive struggles can partially explain the second-seeded Tigers’ loss, as he shot just 3-of-16 from the field and 1-of-8 from three-point range on his way to 10 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

While it surely wasn’t the game he wanted, it also won’t define his season.

Smith was the SEC Rookie of the Year and an All-SEC First Team performer who averaged 17.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals per game and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from three-point range.

He is a matchup nightmare at 6’10” with the ability to shoot from deep, beat defenders off the bounce, control the glass and protect the rim on the defensive side. He is also capable of defending multiple positions and should be versatile enough to play in different rotations at the NBA level.

That skill set should immediately transfer, and Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman projected Smith as the No. 1 overall pick in his most recent mock draft.

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor has Smith at No. 2 overall on his big board, highlighting the fact the Auburn star is a “hard worker with an unblockable jump shot and elite versatility on defense, making him a safe pick who still possesses star upside.”

Still, he wasn’t enough to hold off the upset-minded Hurricanes in the second round.

Miami is the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region and will face the 11th-seeded Iowa State Cyclones in the Sweet 16 as they each look to keep the Cinderella magic rolling deep into the Big Dance.

As for Smith, he now has an NBA decision to make.