In a new interview from the 2022 NBA summer league in Las Vegas with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. isn’t holding back when it comes to goals for his rookie year.
“I’ve got a lot of time to prepare, and a lot of time to get my body stronger,” Smith told Rooks on Tuesday. “I’ve got a lot of time to mature, and learn more about this game. By the time this season starts, I feel like I should be All-Defensive Team caliber, from day one.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Rooks asked what he thinks being defended by Smith will feel like for other NBA players. Smith replied:
A bad dream. A nightmare. I’m not the quickest, but if you get by me, I’m 6-10, so you’re going to have to finish. You’re going to have find something to do with it.
And I do have good feet, so it’s tough. When I get stronger and even quicker, it’s going to be even more scary. I’m excited.
Smith went on to discuss a range of subjects with Rooks, including his unexpected draft-day slide to the Rockets at No. 3 in the first round and his perspective on Orlando’s Paolo Banchero and Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren — who were the only players drafted ahead of him.
Scroll on for video clips of Smith addressing those subjects and more.