OKC Thunder can capitalize on Pascal Siakam trade fallout
By Rylan Stiles
Jalen Smith
Jalen Smith has already been traded once in this NBA career as the Phoneix Suns dealt him to the Indiana Pacers during the 2020-21 season. This was fresh off Smith being the Suns 10th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Maryland.
Smith has logged 173 games, averaging eight points, five rebounds, and nearly a block per tilt for his career. This season, the big man is finding his stride.
Not only is Jalen Smith shooting a carer best from beyond the arc (46 percent), but he is hauling in five rebounds a game, dishing out a steal per tilt, and only dropping off on his STOCKS per game to just 0.6. Smith is turning in ten points per contest for Indiana.
The 23-year-old is owed 5 million dollars this season and is owed a 5.4 million dollar player option following this season that he has the right to exercise or test the open market.
Standing 6'10 215 pounds, Isaiah Smith would give Oklahoma City a big body that they need, with some added floor spacing in that spot.
Synergy ranks Jalen Smith in the 90th percentile in Overall offense, 92nd percentile as a spot-up scorer, 65th percentile as a pick-and-roll man, 76th percentile on cuts, 84th percentile on put-backs, and 82nd percentile in transition.
Smith is shooting 43 percent on catch-and-shoot chances, and 74th percentile at the rim, able to get it done at both levels to connect an offense as an off-ball play finisher.
On the defensive end, the results are less eye-popping, ranking him as an average defender according to Synergy, which is highlighted by his good isolation defense on a small sample size.
On this end of the floor, Smith is sort of a big in name only, letting up 52 percent at the rim, but the defense is certainly passable while nothing to write home about.