TAMPA | Sometimes when two great forces combine, the result isn't as great as you would expect. Egos get in the way. Cohesiveness always seems to be a step or two away. It often occurs in sports.
Luckily for Auburn and Bruce Pearl, the frontcourt combination of Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler has worked out just fine. Great, in fact, maybe to the point of disbelief this season.
Let's remember this before continuing: these two players have only been on the court together for less than a year. Their skills are different. Smith is a smooth 6-foot-10 forward that can shoot it from anywhere on the court, a talent that you can only describe as transformational and someone who does things on a basketball court that no freshman in college should have close to the ability to perform.
Kessler, a grizzled veteran as a sophomore, is a monster inside, a looming presence that comes out at seemingly the last second to send a shot back into an opponent's face. And then he smirks. And laughs. And smiles some more. Oh, and then comes back down on the offensive side and greets everyone with a dunk. Or a three-pointer. Or a post move that NBA scouts must love.
Yeah, you can say these two are compatible by just watching them play together on the floor. But, if you need any more confirmation about how they feel about each other, listen to star players themselves.
"Jabari's a great player, but even more than that, he's a great teammate," Kessler says. "He makes everyone better on the court, playing with him."
Smith's turn.
"He covers up a lot of my mistakes, a lot of the team's mistakes," Jabari says. "Playing with him is just great. He's real unselfish, a great teammate. You couldn't really ask for nobody (better). If you get on him about something, he's going to listen, he's going to say, 'I got you.'"
Not even Joey and Chandler got along better than this.
It has resulted in the two – these five-star recruits turned teammates – into the best frontcourt in the nation. That's not hard to disagree with, no matter who you root for. The Smith/Kessler combination has been a driving force behind Auburn's season, including the program's first-ever No. 1 ranking and an SEC regular-season title. They have shared honors: Kessler winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Jabari the SEC Freshman of the Year.
And, watching during preseason scrimmages, they have shared moments of competition against each other.
Yet, with all the accolades that Jabari has received during the season as the potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft and a rising superstar on the college basketball scene, there has been no jealousy from Kessler. In fact, there's been none from any of his teammates. And, to be sure, the same can be said about Kessler's rise in NBA draft stock.
It's a perfect mixture of talent, unselfishness and drive to win that has made this frontcourt so unique, so rare. Jabari is the scorer who is underrated for his defense. Walker is the stalwart in the lane that goes unnoticed on offense until he has yet another double-double.
This, like most great things, only lasts for a certain amount of time. Both are likely off to the pros after this season, and their time in an Auburn jersey will be just a memory, albeit a great one.
It is a frontcourt that usually only exists in dreams. It's special. Just ask the two that form it.
