Jalen Smith

Jalen Rasheed Smith was born on March 16, 2000, in Portsmouth, Virginia to Charles and Orletha Smith. Known affectionately as Stix, he is a professional basketball player who as of February 2022 has been playing for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Basketball was part of Smith’s life from an early age. His high school career at Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Maryland is marked by impressive statistics of 22.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game during his senior year. Awards soon followed, with Smith twice being bestowed the Gatorade Maryland Boys Basketball Player award, and being named part of the prestigious 2018 McDonald’s All-American team.

While still a high school, Smith had drawn the attention of college recruiters, ranking among the top 25 prospects in the 2018 recruiting class by leading scouting services – Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN. All three ranked him as one of the top prospects in his position. In June of 2017, Smith verbally committed to the University of Maryland, and signed his National Letter of Intent on November 8, 2017.

As a freshman at Maryland, Smith maintained the high performance level that had been witnessed during his high school years. He boasted an impressive 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds paired with 1.2 blocks per game on average. Smith had two remarkable moments in the NCAA Tournament with a win of 79-77 against Belmont and a loss to LSU at a close scoreline of 69-67.

By the end of 2019, Smith was scoring career highs such as 25 points and logging 16 rebounds in separate wins over Northwestern and Notre Dame. Come season’s end, his extraordinary skills left an undeniable mark as he was named to the First Team All-Big Ten by coaches and media, the Defensive Team, and was a third team All-American.

The major career pivot happened in 2020 when Smith was picked tenth overall in that year’s NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Having signed with the Suns in November 2020, his tenure saw him appearing only eight times in games due to the team’s success. This led to his reassignment to the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBA G League.

However, Smith was recalled back to the Suns and achieved a significant milestone by reaching the NBA Finals in his rookie season. The Suns ultimately lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.

Defeat did not deter Smith, and in 2022 saw a switch in jerseys as he was traded to the Indiana Pacers alongside a future second-round draft pick. This marked the beginning of Smith’s promising career with the Pacers where he was re-signed on a two-year deal worth $9.6 million. The faith of Pacers’ head coach, Rick Carlisle, in Smith’s talent was glaringly evident as he declared him a starter soon after and termed him an “important part of our future.”

Smith’s contributions were instrumental, a factor made clear with career-highs such as an 18-rebound game against the Houston Rockets. Smith exhibited his abilities in both defense and offense with numerous blocks and point scores. A notable performance was when he scored a personal best of 23 points in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The spirited player’s role saw a shift for the 2023-24 season as he was designated as a backup to Myles Turner at the center. Despite this, Smith continued to excel and record impressive performances such as getting his first double-double of the season in a win against the Utah Jazz.

Smith, or Stix (now sometimes playfully called “Logs” by his coach Mark Turgeon after bulking up in the 2019-20 season), is a sterling professional basketball player, whose rise from high-school to the NBA has been punctuated by steady progress and personal bests. Not only is a player of remarkable talent but also a crucial asset to the teams he plays for.