Good Jabari versus bad Jabari has Rockets fans up in arms.
The atmosphere of opening night was electric. There was a buzz in the air in anticipation of a new version of the Houston Rockets. Not in the sense that the roster had changed much — Reed Sheppard being the only new face that would see playing time — but because of a renewed resolve to be a winning franchise.
Fresh off contract extensions for Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, on the heels of a 19-game improvement, Rockets fans were ready to explode with the excitement of a statement home win against an inferior Charlotte Hornets squad. Only one problem… the same old Rockets showed up.
Blowing an 18-point lead, lack of offensive execution down the stretch, inability to secure rebounds in crunch time, untimely turnovers. Sound familiar? At the center of it all is a forgettable performance from Jabari Smith. As you may have forgotten he even played on opening night.
In 33 minutes of play, Jabari Smith Jr. messed around and got a quadruple single. Eight points on 2-for-7 shooting. I lost count of how many rebounds he should have had, but he came up with five and had one block and one assist.
Forty-eight hours later, he might have been the best player on the floor versus the Memphis Grizzlies. 14 points, 16 rebounds and 2 blocks in 35 minutes. His rebounding and defensive intensity was a major catalyst in the 20-point route of the Grizz. It needs to be stated that Jaren Jackson, the better of the two juniors, didn’t play in that game. But it shows how much different this team looks when Jabari is playing well.
Fast forward 24 hours later and Mr. Quadruple Single was back. Sadly, he led the team in rebounds with seven, which is a large part of why the team had to scratch and claw their way to a failed comeback attempt versus the San Antonio Spurs. As admirable as that comeback was to anyone who forgot that the Rockets are supposed to be significantly better than their Texas counterparts to the west on Interstate 10, there are no moral victories for the rest of us.
This might sound crazy to say, but this team will likely go as far as Jabari Smith and the other role players take them. That’s right… Jabari Smith is a role player. Don’t let the third overall pick trick you into believing otherwise. Perhaps if he embraces the fact that he’s not going to be Paulo Banchero. (Sorry Houston that one probably stings.)
He doesn’t need to be Banchero. He needs to consistently fight for rebounds, second chance putbacks, and for the love of all that’s sacred, put some arc on your shot and hit an open three-pointer.
Now some of you are probably thinking to yourselves, “Isn’t this the same guy who told us to be patient with Jalen Green, who used his first ever TDS article to compare Jalen’s first three seasons to Kobe as an argument for not giving up on him?”
Yes, I am that guy. The major difference here is that we at least have seen glimpses of Jalen Green being the player we hope he will become. Jabari is NOT going to be the “Rashard Lewis, Antawn Jamison, CHRIS BOSH and KEVIN GARNETT” comps that people were giving him during the draft process.
He can’t shoot. Not consistently. All the weightlifting he did in the summer… well his arms look nice. He’s still getting bullied on the boards against anyone remotely taller or more physical than him. His handle has not improved. His passing has not improved. He has no post moves. He passes up good shots for terrible ones because he has no confidence in making an open shot.
I’m dizzy. Because I’m willing to bet a Pappas Bros porterhouse that he’s going to ball out on Monday in the rematch against the Spurs and make me look foolish. He’s like Forrest’s box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get with him.
The thing is, I love the kid’s attitude and work ethic and his desire to be great. I just don’t know why it’s not translating to at least a little more consistency. It’s not a matter of effort. He plays hard every night. Perhaps it’s lack of confidence or rhythm since this offense does not run through him in any way, and it’s never going to, nor should it.
If Jabari can resign himself to doing the dirty work, much like Tari Eason, he can be a really valuable piece to this team. I know many Rockets fans are already clamoring for Eason to replace Smith in the starting lineup. Maybe that would be good for him.
If you watched Jabari work out with Kevin Durant over the summer with Team USA, you might have thought he was about to come out the gate with a whole new bag of tricks this season. Instead, it’s unfortunately been much of the same old bag, albeit in just three games.
Now is where I remind you, and mostly myself, that Jabari is in his third season. He is still very young. It’s hard for me to imagine all the work he puts in won’t pay off eventually. Jabari was supposed to a sharp-shooting big that spread the floor for players like Jalen Green, and Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore. Thus far, it has not worked out that way.
I don’t know if this team can achieve their goals this season without a consistently productive Jabari Smith Jr. He isn’t the only one. The Rockets as a whole need to be more consistent. But there is just something about Jabari. With his size and ability to shoot over defenses, when he’s hitting shots, and his ability to effectively defend multiple positions, when he’s locked in, should make him a potential All-Star player.
The question… is the Houston Rockets the team that’s going to happen for? Will we see his career potential cap out here in Houston, then see it blossom somewhere else? Rockets fans hope that’s not the case. I hope that’s not the case.
I hope Jabari is serving me up a heaping helping of crow come season’s end, and I will gladly take that with a slice of humble pie. This is not a hit piece by any means. Houston Rockets fans are so frustrated with Jabari Smith because I think we all believe he could be so much better, but we don’t see it. At least not consitently. Because when he is playing well, this Rockets team looks completely different. That’s been more than evident in the first three games of the season. When he plays well, they win games. Period.