Jalen Smith

Active all throughout a franchise-altering 2024-25 offseason that saw both All-Stars depart and youthful talent arrive, the Chicago Bulls, and their acquisition of Jalen Smith, was often described as one that flew under the radar. Given the amount of impact he provided in just a 17-minute debut, the New Orleans Pelicans might describe his play — and his ability to fly — as perhaps anything but. Heeding his smooth-scoring teammate’s request of setting an angled screen-and-roll, Smith carries on as usual in his rim-run, even after the possession halts following a mishandled dribble. Already well-positioned to make an at-the-rim statement of some sort, Smith synchronizes his jump with a teammate’s miss, redirecting the friendly bounce back through for a rim-bending putback flush. A commonly-heard name over the road arena’s loudspeakers, Smith, even in a season-opening loss, was a second unit star on October 23, 2024, pouring in 15 points (on five-of-eight shooting), five rebounds, one steal, and a 3-pointer in his Windy City debut.