Bruce Pearl explains when Jabari Smith Jr. got the 'green light' to shoot 3s at will

Bruce Pearl, Jabari Smith Jr. and the No. 2 Auburn Tigers took down Vanderbilt 94-80 on Wednesday night at Auburn Arena.

Smith had perhaps his best game in a Tigers uniform, scoring 31 points and making 7 of his 10 3-point shots.

Many analysts and fans have wanted to see Smith be more aggressive getting his own shots, so this game was exactly what they wanted. When did Pearl give the green light to Smith from beyond the arc? On Thursday, Pearl gave a great quote, saying he gave Smith the green light to shoot 3s when he recruited him:

When did Bruce Pearl give Jabari Smith the 'green light' to shoot the 3 at will?

"He didn't need the green light from me, he got it from me when I recruited him."

"It was a no-brainer."

— Christian Clemente (@CClemente__) February 17, 2022

That fits with what we’ve seen from other Auburn players in years past and this season. Wendell Green Jr., KD Johnson, Allen Flanigan, Devan Cambridge — Pearl doesn’t mind when any of his players (even big man Walker Kessler) lets it go from beyond the arc.

Now, we’ll see if Smith can keep his hot streak going on Saturday at Florida.