Profile Pic: Justin Smith
He studied alongside Jalen Brunson, set college records for vertical jumps, and the one word that describes him is not what you’d expect from a basketball player: a deep dive into Justin Smith.
07/07/2024
| 20:30
| Magazine
Imagine a single word that can describe a basketball player. Typically, words like "talented," "athletic," "tough," maybe even "committed" or "warrior" come to mind. You know, the usual clichés. But how many players do you know who are often described by everyone they come into contact with as "curious"? That’s exactly what Justin Smith, the new acquisition of Hapoel, is known for. To understand what this means and how it impacts him as a player, we need to go back a bit.
"Whenever there was complexity to deal with, we could see the wheels turning in Justin's head as he tried to solve the issue," said Bill Comar, Head of Basketball Operations at Indiana University, where Smith studied for three years before transferring to Arkansas for his senior year. His coach at Indiana, Archie Miller, explained further: "He learns by asking questions. Through discussion, debate, and more questions until he feels he completely understands the logic behind what is being asked of him. And when he makes a mistake, he replays the sequence in his head and talks about what he saw, how he processed it, and what led him to make the wrong decision. He thinks, he talks, he needs to analyze; it’s his nature." Not exactly what you’d expect from a typical basketball player.
Jalen Brunson and Me
Justin Smith was born on March 1, 1999, in Illinois. Like his new teammate Austin Wiley, Justin was born into a basketball family. His mother, Lucy, played in high school, and his father, Edward, received a basketball scholarship but later switched to track and field. "Even at a young age, Justin would take apart toys and reassemble them because he was curious," Lucy said. He read a lot of science fiction and generally read any book that came into the house.
Before he became aware of his athletic abilities, Justin wanted to study veterinary medicine or entrepreneurship. He enjoys dressing up, is interested in global politics, but is also a huge fan of "Iron Man" movies. But basketball was always there, and at Stevenson High School in Illinois, he played alongside Jalen Brunson, now a Knicks star, who later commented, "He’s one of the greatest athletes I’ve ever met. He has a skill set that can’t be taught."
The fact that Smith could guard players at every position, 1-5, made him highly sought after by colleges, and he chose Indiana. Already in the initial fitness tests, Smith set a record that still stands today with a vertical jump of 48 inches - nearly 1.22 meters. While Smith was known as an excellent shooter in high school, Indiana wanted to fully utilize his athleticism, leading to a transition to the forward positions.
What Hapoel Was Looking For
Despite a solid junior year with averages of 10.4 points, 5 rebounds, and a block per game, Justin decided to transfer to Arkansas for his senior year. But then COVID-19 struck, and he had to study remotely. "I had no idea what I was getting into; it was a leap of faith. But it was the best decision I ever made," he said after finishing his studies with a respectable average of 13.6 points and 7.4 rebounds.
After not being selected in the 2021 draft, Smith tried his luck in the G League. Initially with the Toronto Raptors' affiliate and later with the Delaware Blue Coats, the Philadelphia affiliate, where he played a key role in winning the championship with averages of 9.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. At the end of that season, he decided he wanted a more central role and began his overseas career - with Hapoel Holon.
It quickly became clear that the Israeli Premier League was "tailor-made" for Smith – a center not known for size but for game intelligence and, most importantly, athleticism. This is precisely what Hapoel was looking for - a player in the 4-5 positions who adds a dimension of athleticism to replace Austin Wiley and brings different qualities to the 4 position compared to Nimrod Levy and Chris Johnson - particularly exceptional finishing ability, an aerial presence, and tremendous mobility on defense that allows him to guard any position.
"Whenever there was complexity to deal with, we could see the wheels turning in Justin's head as he tried to solve the issue," said Bill Comar, Head of Basketball Operations at Indiana University, where Smith studied for three years before transferring to Arkansas for his senior year. His coach at Indiana, Archie Miller, explained further: "He learns by asking questions. Through discussion, debate, and more questions until he feels he completely understands the logic behind what is being asked of him. And when he makes a mistake, he replays the sequence in his head and talks about what he saw, how he processed it, and what led him to make the wrong decision. He thinks, he talks, he needs to analyze; it’s his nature." Not exactly what you’d expect from a typical basketball player.
Jalen Brunson and Me
Justin Smith was born on March 1, 1999, in Illinois. Like his new teammate Austin Wiley, Justin was born into a basketball family. His mother, Lucy, played in high school, and his father, Edward, received a basketball scholarship but later switched to track and field. "Even at a young age, Justin would take apart toys and reassemble them because he was curious," Lucy said. He read a lot of science fiction and generally read any book that came into the house.
Before he became aware of his athletic abilities, Justin wanted to study veterinary medicine or entrepreneurship. He enjoys dressing up, is interested in global politics, but is also a huge fan of "Iron Man" movies. But basketball was always there, and at Stevenson High School in Illinois, he played alongside Jalen Brunson, now a Knicks star, who later commented, "He’s one of the greatest athletes I’ve ever met. He has a skill set that can’t be taught."
The fact that Smith could guard players at every position, 1-5, made him highly sought after by colleges, and he chose Indiana. Already in the initial fitness tests, Smith set a record that still stands today with a vertical jump of 48 inches - nearly 1.22 meters. While Smith was known as an excellent shooter in high school, Indiana wanted to fully utilize his athleticism, leading to a transition to the forward positions.
What Hapoel Was Looking For
Despite a solid junior year with averages of 10.4 points, 5 rebounds, and a block per game, Justin decided to transfer to Arkansas for his senior year. But then COVID-19 struck, and he had to study remotely. "I had no idea what I was getting into; it was a leap of faith. But it was the best decision I ever made," he said after finishing his studies with a respectable average of 13.6 points and 7.4 rebounds.
After not being selected in the 2021 draft, Smith tried his luck in the G League. Initially with the Toronto Raptors' affiliate and later with the Delaware Blue Coats, the Philadelphia affiliate, where he played a key role in winning the championship with averages of 9.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. At the end of that season, he decided he wanted a more central role and began his overseas career - with Hapoel Holon.
It quickly became clear that the Israeli Premier League was "tailor-made" for Smith – a center not known for size but for game intelligence and, most importantly, athleticism. This is precisely what Hapoel was looking for - a player in the 4-5 positions who adds a dimension of athleticism to replace Austin Wiley and brings different qualities to the 4 position compared to Nimrod Levy and Chris Johnson - particularly exceptional finishing ability, an aerial presence, and tremendous mobility on defense that allows him to guard any position.
