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A four-star recruit coming out of high school and heading to LSU, Javonte Smart entered the year with promising expectations as a one and done star for the Tigers. However, plagued by somewhat inconsistent play in his freshman year, it is unknown if he plans to return to LSU for another season before heading off to the draft. His mock draft status has fallen a bit below where he was projected to go coming out of high school.
A smart combo guard with good size and the smarts to ACTUALLY run the point, Smart projects to have a ton of versatile upside at the NBA level. Defensively minded as well, Smart looks to be an intriguing prospect that would offer a perfect compliment to a star backcourt player.
Javonte Smart NBA Draft Profile: Latest Mocks & Projections
As a fringe candidate for the NBA draft in 2019, Smart will look to decide if he wants to end up declaring in 2019 or 2020. Either way, he should find himself at least a spot in the second round of 2019 and a possible first-round upside for 2020. Currently, if Smart were to declare in 2019, he is projected to go 51st overall to the Memphis Grizzlies per NBA Draft Room.
Smart looks to be an upside defender at the next level as well, limiting his floor moving forward at the next level. With good size and above average athleticism, he could pose a true problem to most guards at the next level and be an impact player right away.
Javonte Smart NBA Player Comparison
Javonte Smart looks like a similar version of Marcus Smart at the next level, Marcus. While he isn’t the most efficient scorer, he is able to make an impact on the game in a variety of other ways due to his size and athletic ability. Like the NBA Smart, Javonte plays a bit reckless at times and lacks an outside shot but can be an extremely disruptive defender with his quick hands.
Like Marcus, Javonte doesn’t look to be a consistent shooter from deep, though his 83% free throw percentage offers a glimpse of hope he could improve on that end moving forward. While Marcus Smart never has progressed as an efficient shooter, Javonte could arguably see a bit higher of a ceiling on the offensive end at the NBA level.
While big, strong, and athletic, Javonte Smart doesn’t have the same motor that Marus Smart does. That isn’t to knock Javonte’s play but Marus Smart is arguably the biggest “bulldog” in the NBA with the exception of MAYBE Patrick Beverly.
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