One of the premier former Auburn Tigers in the NBA, forward [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag] Jr., suffered an unfortunate setback in his third professional season last week. The star forward broke his left hand during a team shootaround on Saturday, an injury likely to sideline the 21-year-old for at least a month.
Smith was in the midst of a solid season in Houston in which he was averaging 11.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. While the numbers were on pace to be the lowest of his young career, the former Tiger was a key contributor during Houston’s 23-12 start to the season. The dip in individual production could mostly be chalked up to the fact Houston has received fantastic minutes from bench assets such as Cam Whitmore and former LSU star Tari Eason, lightening the scoring load on the Rockets’ starting five.
With Houston currently holding the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and young stars Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun enjoying breakout, ‘All-Star’, seasons, the Rockets will likely be able to tread water without their star forward. Still, the injury news is unfortunate for Smith, who will be eligible for a contract extension at the end of the 2024-2025 season.
If the Rockets can hang onto their playoff spot and Smith returns from his injury without a setback, the 6-10 forward will have an opportunity to become the first former Tiger to ever win an NBA Championship.
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