Drafted at No. 3 in the 2022 first round, rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr. started slowly with the Houston Rockets. But his fortunes have clearly changed in recent weeks, even if that improvement is flying beneath the radar, nationally.
In his first 10 NBA games, the 19-year-old averaged 10 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.6 fouls in 29.7 minutes, shooting 30.3% from the field and 30% on 3-pointers. That stretch coincided with ongoing ankle issues, as well, dating to a sprain suffered in the preseason. As a team, the Rockets won just twice in that 10-game span.
In the 13 games since, though? The 6-foot-11 power forward is better across the board, averaging 13.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 fouls in 30.5 minutes. He’s shooting 41.9% overall, an impressive 39.7% on 3-pointers (at high volume of 6.0 attempts per game), and turning the ball over only once per game. That play has helped a young Houston team win four of its last seven games, overall.
“Nothing’s really different,” Smith said in an exclusive interview with Jackson Gatlin of “Locked on Rockets.” “I’ve just been working on my craft a lot more off the court. I’m just trying to get up extra shots and get in extra work. I’m trying to find my rhythm, find where I can get my shots from, and find my niche to help this team.”
Smith, who hit two important 3-pointers in the overtime sessions of Monday’s impressive Rockets win over Philadelphia, has found useful support from second-year teammate Jalen Green.
As a rookie in 2021-22, Green went through well-chronicled early struggles before turning it on in the second half of the season and earning a spot on the NBA’s All-Rookie first team. That experience from the No. 2 draft pick in 2021 — and someone who, like Smith, is widely viewed as cornerstone of Houston’s rebuild — has provided the 2022 rookie with useful perspective.
“We’re growing together,” said Smith, whose presence is also growing as a defender and rebounder. “He’s telling me to trust the work through the struggles. Trust what I’ve done to get here, and trust that I belong here. He keeps giving me that encouragement, because you know how his rookie season went. He’s always uplifting me.”
In this case, it’s also worth noting that the sample of Smith’s strong play, now at 13 games and counting, is already larger than the initial 10-game slump. The question, of course, is if it can continue.
Smith, Green and the rest of the Rockets (7-17) look to keep that recent momentum going when they return to the court on Thursday night at San Antonio (6-18). Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. Central.
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