Tag: Jabari Smith Jr.

Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler to take part in Rising Stars game

Two former Tiger teammates are taking part in the NBA Rising Stars game

Former teammates turned young and budding NBA stars [autotag]Jabari Smith Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag] have accepted their invitations to play in the NBA Rising Stars game to kick off the 2024 All-Star Weekend.

It’s the second straight year the former Tiger teammates will be participating in the event. This year’s version takes place on Friday, February 16 at 8 PM CST.

Smith comes into the All-Star break amid a breakout sophomore season for the Houston Rockets. The former second-overall pick has parlayed an outstanding Summer League and preseason into a 14-points-per-game and 9-rebounds-per-game campaign. He also averages nearly a block per contest.

As for Kessler, the 22-year-old has slightly regressed in terms of production this season for the Utah Jazz. The 7-foot center from Atlanta, Georgia is averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds this season after 9-point and 8-rebound averages in his rookie year.

Smith and Kessler make up a player poll of 28 rookies, sophomores, and G League players who will be drafted into four teams to compete in a single elimination tournament.

Other notable players in the poll rookies Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Scoot Henderson, and Alabama alumni Brandon Miller. Former Kentucky center Oscar Tshibwe is one of seven players in the G League poll.

The Panini Rising Stars Challenge can be seen on TNT and HBO Max at 8 PM CST on February 16. NBATV will also be televising practice in the morning, starting at 10 AM CST.

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Jabari Smith Jr. to rep Rockets at NBA Rising Stars; Cam Whitmore, Amen Thompson left out

Jabari Smith Jr. is among the sophomores chosen for the NBA’s Rising Stars event at All-Star Weekend, but rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore were left out.

On Tuesday, the NBA announced the 28 players who have earned spots to compete in the 2024 Panini Rising Stars challenge. The event will take place on Friday, Feb. 16, at Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse as an official part of the league’s 2024 All-Star Weekend.

The annual showcase of young talent, featuring a mini-tournament with four teams and three games, airs live at 8 p.m. Central on TNT.

In selecting players for the Rising Stars event, each NBA team submitted one ballot per coaching staff.  Each coaching staff selected four frontcourt players, four guards, and two additional players at either position, in order of preference, for rookies and sophomores. Coaches were not permitted to vote for any player on their team.

The NBA participants were determined by the total points each player received from the ballots. Points were awarded based on where a player was ranked on each ballot. The player pool includes one more rookie than sophomore based on total points received.

For the Houston Rockets, Jabari Smith Jr. is the lone representative. Fellow second-year forward Tari Eason likely would have joined Smith, but he’s been out due to a leg injury for the past month and has missed approximately half of Houston’s 2023-24 season to date.

A 6-foot-11, 220-pound forward, Smith is averaging 13.8 points (47.8% FG, 38.3% on 3-pointers) and 8.7 rebounds per game this season. He’s also one of Houston’s most valuable defensive players. Smith and Eason were both on the rookie Rising Stars roster last season, while Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun were in the sophomore group.

As for 2023-24, rookies Cam Whitmore and Amen Thompson have played very well in recent games, but neither was among the 11 rookies selected. Thompson missed most of Houston’s first six weeks of the season with an ankle injury, while Whitmore didn’t consistently join Houston’s rotation until approximately mid-January.

Thus, their surge may have come a bit too late for it to be properly accounted for in voting conducted by opposing coaches.

Unlike the previous two seasons, the 2023-24 Rockets (22-24) are much more competitive, which has also made it more difficult for rookies to earn consistent playing time to put up gaudy statistics.

Read on for the full rosters, teams, and more details on the format, as well as key numbers on Smith’s sophomore season in Houston.

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Player pool revealed for annual showcase at All-Star Weekend

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 at All-Star Weekend.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 as part of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA will be drafted onto three teams and the seven players in the G League will comprise the fourth team.

The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches. The players from the G League were selected by the league office. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

Assistant coaches from the NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs will join the honorary head coaches in coaching the Rising Stars teams. The NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs for both the Eastern and Western Conferences have yet to be determined.

TNT will televise the competition beginning at 9 p.m. EST.

Rockets blast Lakers as surge continues for Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore

In a potentially critical win for the play-in race, Jalen Green (34 points, 12 rebounds) and Cam Whitmore (20 points in 18 minutes) kept it rolling versus the Lakers.

HOUSTON — In the opener of a three-game homestand at Toyota Center, the Rockets won a potentially critical game in the Western Conference standings race with Monday’s 135-119 victory (box score) over the LeBron James- and Anthony Davis-led Los Angeles Lakers.

With the win, Houston (22-24) is tied in the loss column with the Lakers and Jazz, who are both 24-24. Los Angeles and Utah are ninth and 10th in the West standings, which will eventually represent the final spots in the conference’s play-in tournament for the 2023-24 NBA playoffs.

The Rockets are well positioned for a potential tiebreaker against either team. Houston split its four-game season series with the Lakers, but holds a five-game lead in the loss column by conference record, which would be the next criteria. The Rockets have won their only game versus Utah to date.

As for Monday’s game, the Rockets led by double digits from the end of the first quarter onward. The individual standouts included third-year prospect Jalen Green and rookie Cam Whitmore. Both talented guards have played extremely well in recent games, and neither showed any signs of slowing down versus the Lakers.

Led by Green and Alperen Sengun, the impressive totals included:

  • Green: 34 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists; 12-of-23 shooting (52.2%), 4-of-10 on 3-pointers (40%), 6-of-6 on free throws
  • Sengun: 31 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals; 14-of-23 shooting (60.9%)
  • Whitmore: 20 points, 6 rebounds in 18 minutes; 7-of-12 shooting (58.3%), 2-of-6 on 3-pointers (33.3%), 4-of-6 on free throws (66.7%)
  • Jabari Smith Jr.: 18 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals in 36 minutes; 8-of-13 shooting, 2-of-5 on 3-pointers (40%)
  • Dillon Brooks: 17 points, 3 rebounds in 28 minutes; 7-of-12 shooting (58.3%), 2-of-4 on 3-pointers
  • Fred VanVleet: 3 points, 14 assists, 2 steals in 37 minutes; 0-of-4 on 3-pointers

Whitmore has scored at least 19 points in three consecutive games, while Green has scored 29 or more in four straight.

Davis had 23 points and 7 rebounds in 29 minutes for the Lakers, shooting 10-of-20 from the field (50%) while making all three of his 3-pointers. James added 23 points and 10 assists in 37 minutes, shooting 9-of-15 overall (60%) and 2-of-5 on 3-pointers (40%).

Smith was returning from a four-game absence due to a sprained left ankle and looked quite fresh over his 31 minutes.

Here’s our look at Monday’s highlights and postgame interviews, along with reaction by media members and fans. As the homestand continues, next up for the Rockets is Wednesday’s matchup versus the New Orleans Pelicans (26-20). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Central.

‘Special’: Lakers coach Darvin Ham on Cam Whitmore, Houston’s young core

“They’ve got the makings to be really special for a long time,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham says of the current young core in Houston.

HOUSTON — In his pregame media session prior to Monday’s game between the Lakers and Rockets, Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham referred to a “three-headed monster” for the home team.

That monster, as Ham clarified, consisted of veteran point guard Fred VanVleet and two talented third-year prospects: center Alperen Sengun (already an All-Star candidate) and guard Jalen Green. Houston drafted both players in the NBA’s 2021 first round.

Later in the same interview, Ham shared strong praise for emerging Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore, who the Lakers had in for a pre-draft visit prior to Whitmore’s selection by Houston in the 2023 first round. Ham referred to Whitmore as a “bright young superstar.”

Ham expanded his commentary to include all of Houston’s young nucleus. Whitmore, Sengun, Green and second-year forward Jabari Smith Jr. were among the names he rattled off.

“They’ve got the makings to be really special for a long time,” Ham surmised of the current young core in Houston.

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Reaction: Defenseless Rockets stunned at buzzer by Blazers, Jerami Grant

In another sluggish defensive showing, Jerami Grant beat the regulation buzzer in Houston, and the Blazers went on to shock the Rockets in overtime.

HOUSTON — In the finale of a three-game homestand at Toyota Center, the Rockets suffered a difficult setback in Wednesday’s 137-131 overtime loss (box score) to the Portland Trail Blazers.

With the loss, Houston (20-23) missed a chance to pull into a virtual tie with Utah and the Los Angeles Lakers (both 22-23) for the No. 9 and No. 10 spots in the Western Conference standings, which would represent the final two spots in the 2023-24 play-in tournament.

The Rockets led by four points entering the game’s closing seconds, but Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant each hit miraculous 3-pointers in the final 3.1 seconds of regulation (sandwiched around a pair of free throws by Aaron Holiday) to extend the game to overtime. Grant’s off-balance, off-glass heave from the right wing went in as time expired, and Portland pulled away in overtime.

Grant finished with 21 points and 9 assists for lowly Portland (13-30), which entered on night two of a road back-to-back. Houston, on the other hand, was at home and rested, having not played since Sunday.

The Rockets had plenty of standouts on offense, including:

  • Alperen Sengun: 30 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists; 11-of-17 shooting (64.7%), 1-of-2 on 3-pointers (50.0%), 7-of-8 on free throws (87.5%)
  • Jalen Green: 29 points, 3 assists; 12-of-24 shooting (50.0%), 2-of-7 on 3-pointers (28.6%), 3-of-4 on free throws (75.0%)
  • Fred VanVleet: 18 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks; 8-of-17 shooting (47.1%), 2-of-10 on 3-pointers (20.0%)
  • Cam Whitmore: 12 points, 4 rebounds in 14 minutes; 5-of-10 shooting (50.0%), 2-of-6 on 3-pointers (33.3%)

As a team, the Rockets made 50-of-94 shots (53.2%) in one of their most efficient shooting nights all season. However, it didn’t matter thanks to Portland’s incredible shotmaking late in regulation and another lethargic defensive night by Houston, which ranks just 18th in defensive rating in January. That’s well below their No. 10 ranking for the 2023-24 season (it was once at No. 2), and it has a lot to do with why the slumping Rockets are 3-8 in their last 11 games.

The Rockets were again short-handed, with second-year forwards Jabari Smith Jr. (left ankle sprain) and Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management) still sidelined and Jae’Sean Tate (left wrist strain) missing his only his third game of the 2023-24 season.

Here’s our look at Wednesday’s highlights and postgame interviews, along with reaction by media members and fans. Next up for the Rockets is a road back-to-back, starting Friday night in Charlotte (10-31) and continuing to Brooklyn (17-26) on Saturday afternoon.

Study: Among Rockets, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr. receiving most hate posts from NBA fans

In a study from October 2022 to November 2023, Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. received the most social-media criticism among current Rockets.

In a study of X posts from October 2022 to November 2023, Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. received the most fan criticism among current members of the Houston Rockets.

“We analyzed 366,944 tweets directed at 492 active players who have X (Twitter) accounts and 43,685 tweets directed at the 30 NBA franchises from October 2022 to November 2023,” Fadeaway World says in a post explaining its unique methodology.

“We processed the language in the tweets using a machine-learning sentiment analysis tool that assigned an anger quotient to each tweet. Players and franchises with especially high average anger quotients across all tweets directed at them ranked the highest.”

So, what stood out about the Rockets over that time? The Rockets ranked No. 12 among the NBA’s 30 teams with the most hate posts. Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. ranked No. 7 and No. 12, respectively, among the most-trash-talked NBA players.

“Much of the (Brooks) commentary surrounds his aggressive play and trash-talking, which has earned him a number of enemies in the NBA,” Fadeaway World wrote in a press release attached to its study. “His public remarks about LeBron James being old, among other comments, have drawn intense criticism for being disrespectful.”

That Brooks-James beef occurred largely during the 2023 Western Conference playoffs, when Brooks played for Memphis.

The complete report can be accessed here. As for Smith, it’s worth noting that most of the time period covered in the Fadeaway World study occurred during a relatively underwhelming rookie season. As a sophomore, he’s improved in a significant way.

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Reaction: Celtics edge short-handed Rockets as Alperen Sengun posts third career triple-double

Alperen Sengun (24/12/10) had his third career triple-double, but the weary and short-handed Rockets couldn’t complete Sunday’s comeback bid against Boston.

HOUSTON — On the second night of a difficult back-to-back at Toyota Center, the severely short-handed Rockets (20-22) couldn’t quite keep pace with the loaded Boston Celtics (33-10) in a 116-107 loss (box score). But the home team didn’t go down without a fight.

Despite trailing by double digits most of the way, Houston kept pushing and came within a possession on multiple trips in the fourth quarter. However, the Rockets couldn’t get a final breakthrough.

Big man Kristaps Porzingis led Boston with 32 points and 5 blocks, and he made 6-of-11 from 3-point range (54.5%). He was countered by Houston’s Alperen Sengun, who had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the third triple-double of his NBA career. Sengun made 10-of-18 shots (55.6%) and all four of his free throws.

Houston was without Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management), Jabari Smith Jr. (left ankle sprain), Fred VanVleet (lower back tightness), Jeff Green (left calf soreness) and Reggie Bullock (lower back pain). Back-to-back considerations played a role in some of those decisions, according to head coach Ime Udoka.

Given those absences, Houston had its pair of highly drafted rookies — Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore — make their first NBA starts. Thompson played well with 15 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists, making 5-of-10 shots (50%) and 5-of-6 free throws (83.3%).

For Whitmore, it was a struggle with 5 points and 4 rebounds on 2-of-7 shooting (28.6%). He went 0-of-2 on free throws when the Rockets were down only three points in the closing minutes.

Dillon Brooks led Houston with 25 points and 4 steals, making 5-of-15 from 3-point range (33.3%), and his defense helped limit Celtics star Jayson Tatum to just 18 points on 4-of-17 shooting (23.5%).

Jalen Green and Aaron Holiday each had 5 assists and 4 rebounds while scoring 16 and 12 points, respectively. Both were stepping into larger-than-usual roles in the absence of VanVleet.

Here’s our look at Sunday’s highlights and postgame interviews from Toyota Center, along with reaction by media members and fans. Now 1-1 on a three-game homestand, Houston wraps it up on Wednesday versus Portland (12-29), with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Central.

As injury replacements, Rockets rookies Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore make first NBA starts

With Fred VanVleet (lower back tightness) and Jabari Smith Jr. (left ankle sprain) out, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore each started in Houston for the first time.

HOUSTON — On the second night of a back-to-back, the Rockets held out veterans Fred VanVleet (lower back tightness) and Jeff Green (left calf soreness) from Sunday’s game versus Boston.

Neither injury appears particularly serious, but with the Rockets coming off an exhausting overtime victory on Saturday versus Utah, head coach Ime Udoka was conservative with his veterans. VanVleet is Houston’s trusted starter at point guard, while Green is the team’s backup center and among its most productive reserves.

Udoka said VanVleet has had nagging back soreness for at least a week, and his high minutes totals in recent games made the second night of a back-to-back an opportune time to rest.

Houston was also without Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management), Jabari Smith Jr. (left ankle sprain) and Reggie Bullock (lower back pain) on Sunday against the Celtics. Eason and Bullock have missed multiple games with their injuries; Smith rolled his left ankle in the final seconds of Saturday’s victory.

In the absence of VanVleet and Smith, who normally start, rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore each made their first NBA start on Sunday against the Celtics. Both rookies had key contributions to Saturday’s win, and Udoka appears ready to try them in larger roles.

Thompson (4th pick in 2023) and Whitmore (20th) were a part of Houston’s highly touted first-round draft class.

The Rockets have two days off before returning to action on Wednesday night at home versus Portland. That should give those veterans an opportunity to get healthy.

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Jabari Smith Jr. again sidelined by left ankle sprain for Rockets

For a second time in under a month, Jabari Smith Jr. is sidelined by a left ankle sprain for the Rockets. His return timetable isn’t yet clear.

For a second time in less than a month, second-year Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. is sidelined by a left ankle sprain. Smith missed Sunday’s home game versus Boston after turning his ankle in the waning moments of Saturday’s overtime victory over Utah.

“I’m alright,” Smith said postgame Saturday. “I just went up and got the rebound, and I think I came down on somebody’s ankle and just landed wrong. I think I just rolled my ankle.”

Fred VanVleet (lower back tightness) and Jeff Green (sore left calf) also sat out Sunday, at least in part due to back-to-back considerations.

With Smith out, Houston started rookie Cam Whitmore at forward. Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management) remains out with his own injury, and Whitmore has played increasingly well of late.

Smith, 20, is averaging 13.7 points (47.4% FG, 38.2% on 3-pointers) and 8.7 rebounds in 31.7 minutes per game this season. He’s widely viewed as one of Houston’s best and most versatile defenders.

When Smith first sprained his left ankle in late December, he only missed a game before returning. Similarly, when he left Houston’s locker room on Saturday night, he wasn’t using crutches or a brace. That typically indicates the injury isn’t viewed as especially serious, and it’s possible that Sunday’s absence is only due to it being a back-to-back and the game coming less than 24 hours after the injury.

Even so, because it’s the same ankle, it’s plausible that Houston might opt to be more cautious the second time around. The Rockets (20-21) return to action Wednesday night at home versus Portland before going out on a road trip to Charlotte and Brooklyn over the weekend. Smith’s status for those games is not yet known.

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