AUBURN, Ala. – A year ago, NBA scouts flocked to Neville Arena for Auburn’s annual Pro Day to watch freshman phenom Jabari Smith. In June, Smith was taken third overall in the NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. Walker Kessler, who sat out Pro Day last year because of an injury, also went in the first round at No. 22 overall.
It marked the fourth straight year Auburn has had at least one player selected in the NBA draft with four of the six players taken in that span going in the first round. Smith (2022) and Isaac Okoro (2019) were both top five picks.
Smith and Kessler also won an SEC regular season championship in their one year at Auburn. It was the program’s third SEC crown over the last five seasons.
“You come to Auburn, you can win championships and you can develop into a professional player,” head coach Bruce Pearl said. “You just couldn’t say that some time ago.”
Auburn held this year’s Pro Day on Wednesday, and the scouts were back. Twenty-eight of the 30 NBA teams were on hand at Neville Arena to get a live look at this year’s squad.
“It’s a special day today,” Pearl said. “Not in my wildest dreams would I think that we would have a Pro Day and have 28 out of 30 clubs here. It’s been that way for the last four or five years, and I just cannot take it for granted. They’re not going to play their way in the NBA today, but they’re going to get eyes on them.”
The only two unable to participate Wednesday were Chance Westry and Zep Jasper. Westry, a freshman, is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery he had done last week. He’s expected to return in three-to-four weeks. Jasper was out with a stomach virus, per Pearl.
The others showcased their skills for the NBA scouts with the hopes that one day they might join the likes of Okoro and Smith and Kessler at the next level.
“The timing of this is really good because with summer and the fall and now, we’re ready to start playing somebody else,” Pearl said. “We don’t know that much about what we’re going to look like until we get going against somebody else. We just won’t know.”
Auburn will play an exhibition game at home against UAH on Nov. 2 before opening the 2022-23 season in Neville Arena against George Mason on Nov. 7.
🏀 “It’s a great day.”
Pro Day on the Plains for @AuburnMBB
28 @NBA franchises represented
“You can come to Auburn. You can win championships. You can develop into a professional player.” #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/AXR5UbzypN
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) October 12, 2022