Justin Smith (basketball) explained

Justin Smith
Position:Power forward / Center
Height Ft:6
Height In:7
Weight Lbs:230
League:Israeli Premier League
EuroCup
Team:Hapoel Jerusalem
Birth Date:1 March 1999
Birth Place:Highland Park, Illinois
Nationality:American
High School:Stevenson
(Lincolnshire, Illinois)
College:
Draft Year:2021
Career Start:2021
Years1:2021–2022
Team1:Raptors 905
Years2:2022–2023
Team2:Delaware Blue Coats
Years3:2023–2024
Team3:Hapoel Holon
Years4:2024–present
Team4:Hapoel Jerusalem
Highlights:

Justin Smith (born March 1, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League and the EuroCup. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

High school career

Smith attended Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. In his sophomore season, he played alongside Jalen Brunson and won the 2015 IHSA Class 4A state title.[1] As a senior, Smith averaged 21.7 points and 10 rebounds per game.[2] A consensus four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Indiana over offers from Villanova, Stanford, Wisconsin and Xavier.[3]

College career

As a freshman at Indiana, Smith averaged 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.[4] On March 2, 2019, he scored a sophomore season-high 24 points in a 63–62 upset win over sixth-ranked Michigan State.[5] Smith averaged 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore, his first year in a starting role.[6] In his junior season, he averaged 10.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, before leaving the program.[7] Smith moved to Arkansas as a graduate transfer.[8] On December 20, 2020, he recorded 22 points and 17 rebounds in an 87–76 victory over Oral Roberts.[9] Smith missed four games with an ankle injury that required surgery.[10] As a senior, he averaged 13.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, helping lead the Razorbacks to a 25–7 record and a berth in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Following the season, Smith declared for the 2021 NBA draft.[11]

Professional career

Raptors 905 (2021–2022)

On December 31, 2021, Smith was acquired via waivers by the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. He was waived on February 7, 2022.[12] On February 10, 2022, Smith was reacquired and activated by the Raptors 905.[13]

Delaware Blue Coats (2022–2023)

On November 4, 2022, Smith was named to the opening night roster for the Delaware Blue Coats[14] and eventually helped the team win the NBA G League title.[15]

Hapoel Holon (2023–2024)

On July 23, 2023, Smith signed with Hapoel Holon of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[16]

On June 13, 2024, Smith was drafted by the Valley Suns in the 2024 NBA G League expansion draft.[17]

Hapoel Jerusalem (2024–present)

On July 4, 2024, he signed with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[18]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana| 31 || 9 || 14.9 || .550 || .300 || .673 || 3.2 || .2 || .2 || .3 || 6.5|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana| 35 || 32 || 24.8 || .496 || .219 || .514 || 4.5 || .8 || .6 || .4 || 8.2|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana| 32 || 32 || 30.4 || .492 || .263 || .673 || 5.2 || .9 || 1.0 || .3 || 10.4|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| Arkansas| 28 || 28 || 32.0 || .545 || .217 || .630 || 7.3 || 1.8 || 1.2 || .6 || 13.6|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 126 || 101 || 25.4 || .519 || .243 || .625 || 4.9 || .9 || .7 || .4 || 9.5

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Narang . Bob . Stevenson's Justin Smith looked up to teammates before choosing Indiana . . March 5, 2021 . September 29, 2016.
  2. Web site: Shalin . Dan . All-Area Boys Basketball First Team: Justin Smith, Stevenson . . March 5, 2021 . March 29, 2017.
  3. Web site: Helfgot . Mike . Stevenson basketball standout Justin Smith commits to Indiana . . March 5, 2021 . September 27, 2016.
  4. Web site: Narang . Bob . Hoosier hops: Stevenson grad Justin Smith putting on a show at Indiana . . March 5, 2021 . September 17, 2018.
  5. Web site: Daniels . Tim . No. 6 MSU Upset by Unranked Indiana; Justin Smith Drops 24 Points . . March 5, 2021 . March 2, 2019.
  6. Web site: Flaherty . Kevin . Watch: Justin Smith attacks rim with posterizing dunks . . March 5, 2021 . November 9, 2019.
  7. Web site: Osterman . Zach . Insider: IU has the pieces to replace forward Justin Smith, who will graduate and transfer . . March 5, 2021 . May 22, 2020.
  8. Brew . Tom . Former Indiana Forward Justin Smith Transferring to Arkansas . . March 5, 2021 . June 8, 2020.
  9. Web site: Bordelon . Scottie . Smith 'remarkable' in Hogs' win over ORU . . March 5, 2021 . December 20, 2020.
  10. Web site: Allen . Nate . Smith's return a major boon for Hogs . . March 5, 2021 . February 20, 2021.
  11. News: Muck . Jeremy . STATE SPORTS BRIEFS: Smith to declare for draft, sign with agent . October 3, 2021 . . May 3, 2021.
  12. Web site: 2021-22 NBA G League transactions. gleague.nba.com. December 31, 2021. February 10, 2022.
  13. Web site: 2021-22 NBA G League Transactions. gleague.nba.com. February 10, 2022. February 10, 2022.
  14. Web site: Blue Coats Announce Opening Night Roster. OurSportsCentral.com. November 3, 2022. November 3, 2022.
  15. Web site: Noah. Levick. Delaware Blue Coats win G League championship; Jaden Springer named Finals MVP. NBCSports.com. April 7, 2023. April 7, 2023.
  16. Web site: Dario. Skerletic. Justin Smith joins Hapoel Holon. Sportando.basketball. July 23, 2023. July 24, 2023.
  17. Web site: 2024-25 NBA G League Expansion Draft. NBA.com. June 13, 2024. June 14, 2024.
  18. Web site: Hapoel Jerusalem signs Justin Smith until 2026. July 4, 2024. Sportando. En. July 4, 2024.