Jabari Smith was vastly improved for Houston this season.
When the Houston Rockets were slated to take Paolo Banchero in the lead up to the 2022 NBA Draft, I was upset. I was firmly on the Jabari Smith Jr. train. I watched him quite a bit at Auburn and felt that his shooting and defense was exactly what Houston needed, so you can imagine my elation when the Orlando Magic turned out to be bluffing the entire draft leadup and took Banchero, meaning Smith fell to the Rockets.
It wasn’t always the easiest preference for me to defend during Smith’s rookie season, which was frought with troubles connecting on that silky smooth jumper and adjusting to the physicality and quickness of the NBA on the defensive end.
But in his second season in the NBA, the 20-year-old Smith (he just turned 21 in May. Yep, he’s still that young), started showing major signs of the player he projects to be. He got better everywhere. During Smith’s rookie season, he went for 12.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game on 40.8 percent shooting from the floor, 30.7 percent from deep and 78.6 percent from the line.
Fast-forward to the 2023-2024 season, and Smith compiled averages of 13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 stocks per game on much-improved shooting percentages. Smith finished the year 45.4 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from deep and 81.1 percent from free throws. His defense also looked significantly more confident, sturdy and reactive, and he finished the season as a positive defensive player for the Rockets, also seeing another big leap in the majority of his defensive analytics as well.
He had some big rebounding surges throughout the year, which really impressed me. He had a stretch in December in which he hit double-digit boards in 7 out of 10 games, averaging almost 11 rebounds per game during that stretch. He had another such surge in February, again hitting double-digit boards in 7 out of 10 contests, but this time averaging a little over 11 rebounds per game.
On the offensive end, on nights when his shot was falling, he was dang-near the unstoppable rise-up-over-anyone shooter we all envisioned when he came aboard on draft night. He went for 34 points and 13 boards in a December 20 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in which he shot 4-for-7 from deep and an impressive 14-for-14 from the free throw line. A few nights later he went for 26 and 11 in win over the New Olreans Pelicans, going 10-for-14 from the field and 4-for-5 from deep. He had 28 and 7 in a March 31 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. He finished 5-for-7 from deep and 9-for-14 from the field.
In fact, Smith finished in double digit points in 20 out of Houston’s final 25 games, playing a key role in the Rockets’ 11-game win streak in March (which ended with the aforementioned loss to Dallas).
He also brought some toughness to Houston’s lineup, and despite his mostly soft-spoken nature in interviews, has a bit of an edge to his game on the court that all teams with title aspirations need on their roster.
So where does Smith go from here? I’m still a believer and the only place I think he goes from here is up. I was really impressed with the development he made this season — and the coaching change to Ime Udoka really helped with that as well. He’s a perfect fit for this coach — emotionally and with his fast-improving defensive accumen — and I think these two continue to grow together. Smith’s on-court demeanor and winning attitude might even see him as a team captain for Udoka down the line.
We’ve heard the Chis Bosh-with-more-range comparison as a ceiling for Smith many times, and though it might be a tad cliche’ and maybe not an exact 1:1, I still do like that comp. A couple All-Star games, a 20-10 season or two, and becoming the third-best player on a championship team are all in reach for Smith should he continue to improve at the rate I think he can.
And though he may never have Bosh’s shot creation capabilites from the block, he showed vast improvement in creation as the season wore on, and this is a player who by all accounts is an extremely hard worker. He may never be a true offensive engine — though we know he can score with that shot — but that doesn’t mean what he can become won’t be worthy of Houston’s third overall pick two seasons ago. Smith is well on his way to getting there.