On March 5, Beijing time, the Pacers challenged the Pistons away, the performance of both sides this season is not satisfactory, the Pistons are in the second to last place in the East, the Pacers are not much better, after the recent "clearance process" sent away the main rotation of Sabonis, Le Vere, Lamb, etc., it also completely entered the reconstruction, and it is currently only the third to last in the East. The "rookies" of the two weak teams pecked at each other, and the Pistons, who finally sat at home, still laughed at the end with a 111-106 laugh.
Although the Pacers regret losing, But recently traded from the Suns Jaylen Smith, but in this game he continued to play the "double machine" nature, this time he played 28 minutes off the bench, 12 points, 11 rebounds and 1 block on 5-of-12 shooting, and since joining the Pacers, Smith has won 4 double-doubles, compared to the 29 games he played for the Suns this season, only 3 double-doubles. According to relevant statistics, since Smith joined the Pacers in these 9 games, the average can get 13.1 points and 8 rebounds per game, the three shooting rates have reached 56.1%, 45.2% and 85% respectively, almost among the "180 clubs", as a 2 meter 08 big man, playing such an efficient shooting accuracy, it is indeed a bit unexpected.
As the first round of the No. 10 show picked by the Suns in 2020, Smith, who graduated from the University of Maryland, actually showed a good offensive and defensive strength in college, but the Suns had Ayton, the absolute main center, plus this season they signed McGee and Biyombo, it is true that at that time when the team's internal line was tight, Smith was also in danger of playing several starts, but after they all returned to the court, Smith was once again beaten into the cold palace and sat on the team's cold bench. Before the start of the season, the Suns also made it clear that they would not execute the team option for the third year of Smith's rookie contract, which means that after the end of the season, Smith will become a fully free agent.
Shortly before the trade deadline, the Pacers traded Craig from the Suns for Jaylen Smith and a future second-round pick, and the Pacers had just sent the main center Sabonis Jr. to the Kings, plus another big man, Turner, who was also sidelined by injury and failed to play, and Smith became a member of Carlisle's tigers. In the first game for the Pacers and the Cavaliers, Smith scored 12 points and 3 rebounds, and in the next game against the Timberwolves, Smith played a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds, which gained the full trust of the coaching staff.
After being selected by the Suns in 2020, Smith also won a 4-year 19.36 million rookie contract, and now in the case of only 2 years of contract performance, it was tragically abandoned by the Suns, but the Pacers who came to the waste, the 21-year-old Smith, may really be high hopes by this Bó Lè team, giving him enough time to prove himself.
Counting today's game against the Pistons, Smith has had a double-double in three of his last four games, and the only game he has failed to get a double-double (Against the Magic on March 1) is just two rebounds short, and he has a quasi-double double-double of 14 points and eight rebounds. Anyway, the Pacers have made up their minds to rebuild, and as long as Smith can seize this opportunity, it is really possible to hit the face of the sun in the future and become the league's famous "two-double machine" in the future.