The day is June 23, 2022 as millions of NBA fans tuned into that years draft. For Rockets fans, everyone had their guy, whether that be Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, or Jabari Smith Jr. I was a Paolo fan, and the general consensus was that Houston would be able to draft him at pick three, as most scouts had Jabari going first followed by Chet, and finally Paolo.
However, before the draft even started, it was revealed that the Orlando Magic were planning on selecting Paolo Banchero first overall.
Obviously, I, along with other Rockets fans, was upset because, as a fan base, many of us had spent the past few months campaigning for whichever player we wanted the Rockets to draft, but in a way it feels like everything worked out. Paolo had an incredible start to his career, and if he had landed in Houston, perhaps the Rockets would have improved enough to avoid the fourth overall pick, meaning they would not have been able to draft Amen Thompson, which I can’t even begin to imagine this team without Amen Thompson.
Although Jabari has shown signs of being a top player in the NBA after three seasons, he has acknowledged that his own career has not gone as planned. But such flashes of brilliance do offer the Rockets optimism. He hasn’t been a complete failure. The only player in the 2022 draft class with 2700 points and 1500 rebounds is Jabari. Rockets supporters questioned why head coach Ime Udoka didn’t use him more because of his performance in the few minutes he played during this past season’s playoffs.
During the postseason, he averaged just 20 minutes per game, yet he scored 7.4 points, pulled down 3.9 rebounds, and shot 50 percent from the field, including 45.5 percent from three-point range. Given the team’s offensive struggles against the Warriors, more of that kind of performance would have been appreciated. But as they say, it’s useless to linger on the past. All the effects of that series’ failures have already been felt this offseason, so it’s time to move on. What can we expect from Jabari this season?
The question of whether Jabari should rejoin the starting lineup in 2025–2026 has generated a lot of discussion. We saw the rise of Amen Thompson as a defensive star and possible all-around superstar, and the Houston Rockets were able to continue winning games without Jabari, keeping them as the two-seed in the Western Conference, and even decided to start Thompson once Jabari returned from injury.
According to most reports, Jabari will be back in the starting lineup on opening night. The basic objective is to surround Kevin Durant with as many scoring sources as possible. I think the space Durant will give Jabari Smith Jr. will be very beneficial while also being able to get cleaner and more efficent shots, and Jabari has been training with KD for the past two summers, including with team USA, so they should have some camaraderie established. Jabari should be able to average close to 15 points and 9 rebounds per game in his fourth season of playing more than 30 minutes per game. Jabari needs to improve his ability to get to the line more frequently by being physical inside the paint. He should aim for a shooting percentage in the mid-to-high 40s and a three-point shooting percentage in the high 30s. Because their top free-throw shooters rarely reach the line, Houston has struggled in that area.
All things considered, Jabari Smith Jr. has high hopes going into his fourth year. He has the chance to significantly improve his entire game, especially if he can take advantage of the opportunities that come with playing with Kevin Durant and keep honing his offensive repertoire. If Jabari can take a leap, it will likely lead a successful season for Houston!
