For the bulk of Bruce Pearl’s tenure at Auburn, the Tigers have been highlighted by star guards such as Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, Sharife Cooper, KT Harrell and more. This year is a bit different, as Auburn is highlighted by Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler, who are 6’10" and 7’1", respectively.
The Breakfast club and practice
At 6:30 a.m. Smith, Wendell Green, Devan Cambridge and Lior Berman will be getting shots up with assistant coach KT Harrell. They are part of "the breakfast club," which has helped them build solid chemistry with each other.
“Chemistry, and it’s all about trust,” Smith said. “If you know those guys next to you are working hard, you’ll trust them. You can take different things from them, get to know each other.”
Outside of that, practice has been in full swing for a week now, and according to Kessler, it’s going well.
“We look really, really good,” Kessler said. “I’m super excited for this year, we got a lot of pieces coming in, everyone has meshed so well.”
Why Jabari Smith came to Auburn
Smith was a top-five prospect in the class of 2021, Bruce Pearl mentioned that he could have gone overseas or gone to the G-League and gotten paid. Smith chose Auburn, partly due to the college experience, but he also saw how guys at his position have played under Pearl in the past, which he couldn’t turn down.
“Just watching previous players that played my position,” Smith said. “Chuma Okeke, Isaac [Okoro] played power forward sometimes, so just watching their role and how much the ball was in their hands and how much freedom he lets his PF’s play with, I just felt like it was really easy to make the decision to come here because you can’t say no to that.”
In addition to improving his game, Smith has worked with strength coach Damon Davis and is up 20 pounds from 200 to 220.
“It’s making a great difference,” Smith said. “Being able to play with the physicality needed to play in the SEC. Just feeling stronger in my shot, extending my range.”
In addition to Kessler and Smith, Auburn has post players such as Dylan Cardwell, Stretch Akingbola and Jaylin Williams. They all challenge each other and make each other better. Smith talked about how he has to be tough when he faces those guys in practice.
“They’re older than me,” Smith said. “More mature, stronger, they know more than me, so going against them, learning from them, pushing each other is going to help us a lot. You gotta be tough, you can’t be looking for fouls. You can’t let the bigs do what they do, because if you do it’ll be a long day.”
Walker Kessler, the floor-spacing center
When Kessler was in the transfer portal looking for a new home, he knew what he wanted, which was to be given the ability to shoot the ball beyond the arc and make plays for others. Bruce Pearl runs a system that encourages everyone to shoot the ball from deep, so the match was perfect for both sides.
“I pride myself on my ability to shoot and stretch the floor,” Kessler said. “Being a playmaker, being put in positions to make the offense better and not only make plays for myself but make plays for my team is so important, especially at the pro level. Being able to stretch the floor, play on the perimeter, and make good passes is really important.”
Auburn has a deep team that could potentially go as deep as nine or 10 guys, and every single one of those guys has bought into winning for Auburn.
“We have so many weapons,” Kessler said. “Our depth is just non-comparable, and I think it’s gonna be our biggest strength. I love my teammates. Everyone is so bought into the common goal of trying to win, and that’s contagious. There isn’t a lot of pride on the team. Everybody has pride in Auburn.”
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Henry is a sophomore from Dallas, Texas. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman.
Twitter: @Henry_Patton23
