With veteran Eric Gordon no longer on the roster, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. will switch to the No. 10 jersey for the 2023-24 season, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
That’s the number Smith, the No. 3 draft pick from the 2022 first round, wore during his superb college days at Auburn.
Though Gordon was traded at February’s trade deadline, NBA rules did not allow Smith to change his number during the season. Thus, Smith played out the year with a No. 1 jersey, which he chose when Gordon was still on Houston’s roster last offseason. Most rookies — even highly drafted ones — defer to veterans in such scenarios.
In many ways, it’s analogous to the situation that teammate Jalen Green faced in his 2021-22 season with the Rockets. As a rookie, Green wore a No. 0 jersey because his preferred No. 4 belonged to Danuel House Jr., a veteran. Though House left the team during that season, Green had to wait until the following offseason to change.
As a slender 19-year-old rookie, Smith averaged 12.8 points (40.8% FG, 30.7% on 3-pointers) and 7.2 rebounds in 31.0 minutes per game. He appears in line to again start at power forward for the Rockets in 2023-24, and an offseason of hard work related to strength and conditioning can bolster his chances of a breakout year.
Perhaps getting his preferred jersey number can help, too. If nothing else, the outdated No. 1 and No. 0 rookie jerseys of Smith and Green, respectively, could be fun throwbacks for fans in a few years.
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New from Houston Chronicle — Rockets' Jabari Smith Jr. switching to No. 10 for second season https://t.co/UUWrV0CXEH
— Texas Sports Nation (@ChronTXSN) May 4, 2023
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