After starting at power forward for the first two months of the 2022-23 season, the Pacers eventually went in another direction, seeing Smith fall out of the rotation altogether. He did manage to earn himself decent playing time down the stretch, but by that point, the damage had been done. He ended as the 217th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 18.8 minutes per game. The Pacers brought in Obi Toppin during the offseason, as well as adding Jarace Walker in the NBA Draft. Both players are likely to be ahead of Smith in the pecking order, meaning he should not be a draft target outside of very deep leagues. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $9.71 million contract with the Pacers in July of 2022. Contract includes $5.42 million player option for 2024-25.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Jalen Rasheed Smith was born Mar. 16, 2000 in Portsmouth, Virginia to Charles and Orletha Smith. He has one sibling, Kiara Smith. His sports hero is the late Kobe Bryant. Smith's nickname is "Stix". His alternative career path would be computer programming, and if he could play a different sport, it would be tennis. Smith attended Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Maryland. As a senior, he averaged 22.2 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. In 2017 and 2018, Smith was twice named the Gatorade Maryland Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He was also named to the 2018 McDonald's All-American team. Smith was among the top-25 recruiting prospects in 2018 and opted to attend the University of Maryland for college, where he studied information science. As a freshman, he was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. As a sophomore, Smith was named First Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Defensive Team and Third Team All-American. Smith started all 64 games he appeared in during his two seasons at Maryland, helping the Terrapins establish a tough post presence to contend with the physical centers of the Big Ten Conference. Despite sharing the frontcourt with Bruno Fernando during his freshman year, Smith still put up averages of 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds on his way to Big Ten All-Freshman honors. In his second and final season, Smith took the conference by storm, averaging a double-double with 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. He saved his best work for Big Ten play, recording a career-high 29 points Jan. 26 at Indiana. A few weeks later, he set a career-high with 19 rebounds against Northwestern. Smith finished the year strong, posting a double-double in 13 of his last 14 games. He was consistently on the Wooden Award watchlist during the season, and when it was all said and done, earned first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defense team honors. He was also fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.538) and third in the conference in PER (29.3).
Won't play Sunday
FIndiana Pacers
Knee
April 9, 2023
Smith (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Knicks.
ANALYSIS Smith will miss back-to-back contests to end the 2022-23 campaign. Across 68 appearances (31 starts), the third-year big man averaged 9.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 18.8 minutes per game.
2022 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2022 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2022 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2022 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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2022
2021
2020
Stat Review
How does Jalen Smith compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
56.5%
Effective Field Goal %
53.0%
3-Point Attempt Rate
37.6%
Free Throw Rate
27.0%
Offensive Rebound %
11.2%
Defensive Rebound %
22.9%
Total Rebound %
17.1%
Assist %
7.6%
Steal %
0.7%
Block %
4.0%
Turnover %
10.1%
Usage %
21.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
20.4
Fantasy Points Per Minute
1.1
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Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Pacers Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Jalen Smith was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jalen Smith See More
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There may be a significant injury concern on the Mavs, but Jeff Edgerton lists a couple teammates who should still post sufficient stats regardless of the situation.
Joel Bartilotta likes a couple Rockets at home against the Lakers.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could wind up with Spurs
FPhoenix Suns
February 8, 2022
Smith has been mentioned as a potential piece in the trade that would send Thaddeus Young to the Suns, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
ANALYSIS The promising big man had his option for next season declined and will be a free agent at the end of the campaign, but the Spurs are still interested in acquiring him in case they part ways with Young. Smith has made just five starts across his first two seasons in the league and is averaging 6.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest in 2021-22.
Smith's productivity took off last season following his Feb. 10 trade from Phoenix to Indiana. Prior to the move, the Maryland alum had shown flashes of upside -- most significantly, during a four-game stretch of starts around the turn of the new year during which he put up 17.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per contest -- but he moved in and out of the rotation and averaged under 14 minutes in the games during which he saw the court. The shift to the Pacers resulted in substantially more opportunity for Smith, as he averaged nearly 25 minutes per contest and produced 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 three-pointers and 1.0 blocks with a 53.1/37.3/76.0 shooting split. Those numbers gave him fantasy viability, and he could be on the radar as a late-round target in drafts this season. Smith took less money to re-sign with Indiana, expecting he'll get a shot as the team's starting power forward. It's worth noting that Smith never took the court with center Myles Turner last season, as the latter didn't play after mid-January due to a foot injury. There remains a strong possibility that Turner -- heading into the final season of an $80 million, four-year extension -- will be traded, which would further open an opportunity for Smith to blossom.
Jalen Smith is fresh off an impressive Summer League, where he led all players in both overall rebounds (12.5) and offensive rebounds (5.0) and led the Suns in points per game (16.3). This year, Smith will be looking to break into the Suns' rotation as one of their big men who can back up Deandre Ayton as well as play the four. Last year, the 10th pick rookie didn't have much of an impact. He missed 12 of the team's first 14 games, first with an ankle injury and then with a positive COVID test, and was subsequently sent to the G League so he could continue to hone his game. Overall, Smith played in 27 games at the NBA level and averaged just 5.8 minutes, 2.0 points, and 1.4 rebounds per game. This year presents a big opportunity for Smith. Expectations are high, and the Suns need his size and defensive presence when Ayton is off the floor. If he can show similar rebounding ability and offensive skills to what he revealed in Summer League, Smith could have a solid role and greater impact this year, but probably still not fantasy-worthy.
Smith was drafted earlier than many had prognosticated, and he'll join an up-and-coming Suns team that has hopes of making the playoffs this year. The Maryland product averaged a double-double during his sophomore season at the collegiate level, posting 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 53.8 percent shooting with the Terrapins. He also has some upside as a three-point shooter, as evidenced by his hitting 36.8 percent of his 87 attempts last season. Smith will join a crowded center position for Phoenix behind Deandre Ayton, though it's possible the team will try to play the two together. Still, it doesn't seem like Smith will have a ton of fantasy relevance as a rookie and will probably only be worth in a look in the deepest of leagues.
More Fantasy News
Questionable for finale
FIndiana Pacers
Knee
April 8, 2023
Smith (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Knicks.
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Won't play Friday
FIndiana Pacers
Knee
April 7, 2023
Smith (knee) has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Pistons, Tony East of SI.com reports.
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Questionable Friday
FIndiana Pacers
Knee
April 6, 2023
Smith is questionable for Friday's game against the Pistons due to right knee soreness.
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Posts strong two-way line
FIndiana Pacers
April 5, 2023
Smith ended with 19 points (8-11 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds, three blocks and two steals across 26 minutes during Wednesday's 138-129 loss to the Knicks.
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Back in starting lineup
FIndiana Pacers
April 5, 2023
Smith will start Wednesday's game against the Knicks.
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