Jalen Smith has been solid for his entire career, but it is fair to say that he hasn’t quite lived up to the reputation that came with being the 10th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Last season was his first in Chicago, and while some had high hopes for Smith as a backup big, he was ultimately a little-used and oft-injured player.

Now in Smith’s defense, his injuries were often freak accidents or minor/nagging in nature. This includes injuries such as the concussion he suffered in February 2025, and the litany of ankle and back issues that usually keep his injury status changing ever so slightly on a game-to-game basis.

When Smith was on the court, he did not live up to his 2024 reputation as a dependable, floor-spacing big. After draining 42% of his 3-point FGAs with the Indiana Pacers in 2024, Smith shot 32.4% from deep last year with the Bulls. This is a major drop-off and similar to starting center Nikola Vucevic, where it is tough to tell which figure is “real,” as Smith is a career 33% 3-point shooter despite some occasional hot-shooting years from 3-point range. The obvious difference for Smith, of course, is that he is 24 years old and theoretically has a lot of time left in his NBA career to hone his perimeter shot into a dependable weapon.

Smith’s drop-off from the 3-point line wasn’t related to role either, as he has fluctuated around 15-20 minutes for his entire NBA career. So if the 3-point shot isn’t falling for Smith in 2025-26, how will he make his mark? Defense. Although Smith has never been a dominant shot-blocker at the NBA level, he does average 1.6 blocks per 36 minutes for his career. He gives strong effort and uses his length whether coming over from the weakside or guarding his man in the post straight-up.

When Smith is truly locked in, he can act as the sort of rim protector that Chicago desperately needs. Look no further than when Jalen Smith started in a December 2024 game between Charlotte and Chicago. In that start, Smith collected a whopping five blocks and 11 rebounds, playing a major part in the Bulls holding the Hornets to a 39.8% Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG) in the 109-95 Bulls win.

Despite the addition of lanky, lottery pick forward Noa Essengue, and defensive-minded wing Isaac Okoro, Smith’s unique and valuable archetype will always give him a chance to make the rotation. And as long as Smith continues to fight hard to contest shots in the paint and stays aggressive from the perimeter on offense, a bounce-back season is reasonably on the way for him, even if it is in a limited role.