Jalen Smith hasn’t played for the Phoenix Suns since February, and he’s since taken advantage of his opportunity with the Indiana Pacers. But even with a new contract under his belt and the future looking bright in Indy, Smith remains thankful for his time in the Valley. Just last week, the Pacers re-signed Stix to a three-year, $15.1 million contract…...
After Jalen Smith spent most of his rookie season on the bench, the Phoenix Suns declined his third-year player option. Just a few months later, with the NBA ravaged by COVID-19, Smith found himself starting at center for a title contender. Stix sat down with Espo, Saul Bookman and Gerald Bourguet of PHNX to talk playing the 4 versus the…...
Winning NBA teams with young stars and respected basketball cultures aren’t always the best environments for newly-drafted players. Former 10th overall pick Jalen Smith has learned that the hard way with the Phoenix Suns, only set against the backdrop of a COVID-ravaged introduction to the pros. Not only did Stix get coronavirus in the first month as a rookie last…...
Jalen Smith had a lot to prove heading into his second NBA season. He barely played as a rookie, his most favorable position on the floor was already occupied by Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee, and even in terms of trade value, the former 10th overall pick had a lot of ground to make up in order to become an…...
Jalen Smith was not like many other rookies from the 2020 NBA Draft class. For most top-10 picks, that kind of description would be a good thing. For Stix, it was the opposite. Last year, 25 rookies averaged at least 20 minutes per game. Smith wasn’t one of them. Forty rooks averaged at least 15 minutes per game, and still,…...
Look, we get it. The Phoenix Suns just finished playing meaningful basketball less than three months ago, and no one usually gives a damn about preseason anyway. It’s just hard to care when you go from watching Chris Paul and Devin Booker in the NBA Finals to Elfrid Payton and Jalen Smith logging big minutes against the Sacramento Kings. But…...
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