“I would say KD [Kevin Durant],” second-year #Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. says of which NBA player helped him improve the most during 2023 offseason workouts.
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HOUSTON — With the release of the NBA’s 2023-24 regular-season schedule, we learned second-year Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. will immediately have a chance to display the results of the rigorous work he put in this offseason. Houston’s first two games are against the last two No. 1 draft picks: Paolo Banchero (2022) of the Orlando Magic and Victor Wembanyama (2023) of the San Antonio Spurs.
Yet, Smith does not see any personal matchups on the schedule that he is circling. His main goal is improving on Houston’s 2022-23 season, in which they finished a dismal 22-60.
“We lost so many games last year that I feel like you have to circle everybody,” Smith said during the team’s recent back-to-school event for students at the Sunnyside Community Center.
“I feel like we lost to every team in the league,” Smith said during Saturday morning’s event. “We lost a lot of games, so everybody is circled. We have stuff to prove after going 22-60. We are just going into every game with the same mindset, like we have something to prove. It is not just one game, we look forward to all of them.”
Smith considered his rookie campaign a learning season, in which he averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The 2022 NBA All-Rookie second-team selection looks to build on the momentum he enjoyed over his last 20 games. During that stretch, Smith shot 47.2% overall and 36.5% on 3-pointers.
This offseason, Smith has trained with future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant — now with the Phoenix Suns — and Smith hopes it will help his personal growth. On paper, the lanky forwards have physical similarities, including a clear height advantage, and the skills to quickly shoot over smaller opponents.
“I would say KD (Kevin Durant),” Smith said when asked who helped him improve the most. “It has been mutual things with other people, but that was my first time actually talking to him, having a conversation, working out with him, and just being around him.”
Smith played briefly this summer in the 2023 NBA summer league and blew away fans, players, and media members with two brilliant performances, including a game-winning 3-point basket with 0.6 seconds left to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in early July.
The former 2021-22 SEC Freshman of the Year followed that performance with 38 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a victory over the Detroit Pistons. That was Smith’s final summer league game before new head coach Ime Udoka shut him down.
“I was really open to playing because I felt like it would be a good opportunity for me to show what I have worked on,” Smith said Saturday. “Just play in a different scenario, a different role, and just have fun. Tari (Eason) said he was going to play with me, so that was cool. When they told me I was done, I figured it was going to happen, but me and Tari said we wanted to play every game, win the championship, and start the culture and change it around a little bit.”
With Rockets training camp set to begin in early October, Smith and his teammates are aiming to continue developing their games as they approach the start of the 2023-24 regular season.
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