Former Croatia national team coach and Yugoslav basketball legend Aleksandar Petrovic shared his thoughts on the potential new addition to Partizan.
Petrović responded on social media ‘X’ to a question about Jaleen Smith, who is linked with the black-and-white team.
“He could also be a great addition. Although not a pure point guard but a ‘combo.’ Exceptional on-ball defender and a fantastic guy,” Petrovic emphasized. He recently served as the interim head coach for the Croatian national team, marking his second stint at the helm of the national team.
This season, Smith averaged 5.3 points in the EuroLeague while playing for Virtus, from which he recently parted ways. In the previous season, his performance was significantly better. At that time, he recorded 11.6 points per game for Alba Berlin in the elite competition.
The American guard made a name for himself in EuroLeague teams through his performances in Ludwigsburg, where he arrived from the second German league and Heidelberg. During his college career, he played for the New Hampshire Wildcats, and he became a Croatian national team member in the summer of 2022.
Concerning Partizan, the desire for an additional guard in the rotation has intensified, especially after a somewhat serious injury to Aleksa Avramovic, who will be sidelined for another two months. Therefore, the acquisition of a new player is much-needed for the Belgrade team.