Kendall Smith Continues Showing Up Big in the Biggest Games

Kendall Smith showed up to the postgame press conference dressed like Russell Westbrook, or so he said. Replete with a pair of shades and a black-and-white striped shirt, Smith said he’d always wanted to show off his fashion sense like Russ does. So what better time than after your second straight rout of Kansas, when you could show up borderline naked and nobody in the organization would complain?

Kendall Smith said he always wanted to walk into a postgame presser feeling like Russell Westbrook. His fashion statement: #okstate pic.twitter.com/g9eDazjBqd

— Mark Cooper (@mark_cooperjr) March 3, 2018

Two hours earlier Smith emulated Westbrook on the court as well. The senior signed off in his too-short 18-game GIA career with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. He played just 29 minutes and took just 15 shots. It was efficient. It had rhythm. It was everything OSU wanted him to be when he showed up last year.

And it was one of the many big games Smith has had this year against top 10 teams. In fact, his numbers against the best teams Oklahoma State has played are far better than his numbers against everyone else. Here are his splits.

When you look at Big 12-only games, the numbers are even more stark.

It becomes sort of undeniable that Smith is at his best in the biggest moments when you look at his highest-scoring games of 2018.

• Kansas at home: 25 points
• Kansas away: 24 points
• TCU away: 21 points
• Texas Tech at home: 21 points
• Iowa State at home: 20 points
• West Virginia away: 20 points
• OU at home: 20 points

That’s five (at the time) ranked teams including four in the top 10. Monstrous.

“My teammates just did a really good job of putting me in positions to score,” said Smith. “The confidence they have in me helps me build the confidence in myself. I owe it all to them really.”

Just after he said that, Mitchell Solomon chimed in that “great players show up against great competition” to a fist bump from Smith. You can watch the exchange below. I think it sort of epitomizes everything I’m talking about here.

“Kendall’s an interesting study,” said Mike Boynton.

Boynton then told a story about how earlier this week he allowed his seniors to put him on defense and try to score on him. He said Smith tried to dunk on him and then sent him a photo of it later on in the day.

“That’s Kendall,” Boynton added. “He does a lot of good things to help us win. He drives me crazy sometimes, but I love him all the same because he’s extremely competitive. He wants to learn. He wants to be good. He wants to lead. It’s my job to help him do that. I’m really thankful he decided to come here and help us have the success we’ve had this year.”

It’s fair to say that OSU would not be tied for 6th place at the end of the Big 12 season if Kendall Smith had not transferred to Stillwater. It’s also fair to say that without him stepping in and filling the “I got this” shoes in games against Kansas (twice), OU, Texas Tech and WVU, OSU would be sitting near the cellar with Iowa State instead of dreaming about sneaking in the back door next Sunday.

Smith has been monumental in OSU’s growth as a team and Boynton’s development in Year 1. He wants the ball. Wants the game in his hands at the end. That’s invaluable for a team searching for its identity. He delivered it to them so many times in so many big games this year. Hopefully he gets to do it for a few more.