I'm still waiting to hear the great bowlers he has faced and had battles against.
I have no issue saying the young gentleman is already ATG. Heck even top 10. But all the gentleman I've mentioned went through the full ups and downs of an entire career and faced off against both ATGs and ATG attacks. Hayden was never taken fully seriously after how he fared early in his career even though he too is ATG.
Baker Mayfield last year passed for a rookie record 27 touchdowns and won 7 games. Then someone pointed out in the off season, that none of the wind and few of those TD, s came against teams with winning records. It matters who you do it against. And how you do it. It's what Sangakkara, Barrington and Sutcliffe isn't absolute top tier / ten.
Hammond was also in this range of average before the war and would have missed out on the tail of his prime as well. And he destroyed his average by playing after the war when he was past it.
Sobers too started his career as a left arm spinner and took years to get going. Once he did though it was very Smith like.
There was also when Ponting was going all guns and leading an all rampaging team and there was similar arguments of best after Bradman and he was better than SRT and BCL.
Smith this series was superb. Period. And regardless of who it's vs you have to score the runs. And that's enough if we were arguing ATG status, but when we are calling him the 2nd best if not the best ever (which I will if he maintains this form and average throughout his career) we have to ask who it was against.
Again, not putting him down in anyways. He is the best bat in the world today and likely top 10 ever. But the hyperbole is definitely evident.
I personally live him, great bat, great slip and useful part-time bowler. Similar to Hammond and to me the most valuable type of all rounder (Sober, Kallis, Chapell etc but I know that's just me). Just pump the brakes for a bit.
For the record off the top of my head.
Bradman, Tendulkar, Richards, Sobers, Lara, Hutton, Hobbs, Hammond are still the ones definitely above him to me. Not a long list at all.