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Rick Barnes discusses the Jabari Smith-Kevin Durant comparisons
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Rick Barnes coached Kevin Durant during his time at Texas, watching as Durant blossomed into a superstar and the No. 2 overall pick in that year’s NBA Draft.
Now, many are comparing Auburn star freshman Jabari Smith Jr. to Durant, as they are a similar size and both have smooth shooting forms.
What does Barnes think of that comparison? He weighed in after Tennessee took down Smith and the Auburn Tigers on Saturday afternoon (via On3 Sports):
“I mean, Kevin Durant, we had a team where six out of the top seven were freshmen, and he played 36 minutes for a reason. He averaged 26 points a game. It’s hard not to give him the ball because it’s not like they’re selfish players. You know they’ll make the right read if they get double teamed and pass the ball. The fact is, we were switching a few times down there (while trying to contain Smith).”
Smith has the chance to go No. 1 overall in this year’s draft. Durant went behind Greg Oden, a defensible decision at the time, but one that hasn’t aged well.
Will NBA teams learn from that mistake involving the former Texas star and take Smith No. 1 overall? We’ll find out soon enough.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
