Every young player reaches a point when potential is no longer enough.
Responsibilities increase, expectations rise, and the conversation shifts from what a player could become to what he can consistently deliver.
For Rockets power forward Jabari Smith Jr., that moment may have arrived as he enters his fifth NBA season.
Smith, the former No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft out of Auburn University, is no longer the inexperienced teenager trying to establish himself in the league while playing for a rebuilding Rockets team.
At 6-foot-11, he is beginning to take advantage of his ability to stretch the floor on offense, where he can shoot over smaller defenders with ease.
Combine that with his willingness to defend multiple positions, and you can
see why general manager Rafael Stone was eager to draft Smith, knowing that he possesses enough physical tools to be among the most intriguing prospects from his draft class.
On Saturday, in a dominant 119-98 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Smith helped the Rockets improve to 6-1 while leading all scorers with 30 points. Through seven outings, Smith is now averaging a career-high 19.0 points per game while shooting 44.7% from 3-point range.
“The mindset is to find a way to impact the game whichever way I see fit,” Smith said of his approach entering the 2026-27 season. “We have so many guys that can do so many different things that you have to find your niche and find a way to impact the game. Whether that is scoring or defense, whatever it is.”
What may have helped Smith take that next step was learning what it takes to become an NBA superstar from teammate Kevin Durant, as well as the pain of two straight losses in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs (2025 to the Golden State Warriors, 2026 to the Los Angeles Lakers).
“This summer (I) had like a little chip on my shoulder, especially with the way the season ended in the first round the last two years,” Smith said. “Just thinking about that and thinking about the intensity of the playoffs and training with that intensity all summer. I think that is what changed.”
Smith, 23, averaged 17.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 42 minutes per game during the 2026 playoffs. In doing so, he also assumed a leadership role normally assigned to Durant, who was only available for one game due to injuries.
Rather than simply spacing the floor, as he did for much of the 2025-26 regular season, Smith had to become a more aggressive scoring option.
With Houston facing elimination on the road at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Smith scored a team-high 22 points in Game 5 to extend the series. He also grabbed seven rebounds and added two blocks.
Although the Rockets eventually lost the series, 4-2, Smith left with confidence and showed he was ready to take on more responsibility — and especially when the team needed him most.
That playoff run built on what Smith did in the regular season, when he started 77 games and set career highs in scoring, assists, minutes played, and effective field goal percentage.
Smith, who signed a five-year, $122 million contract extension before the 2025-26 season, is no longer evaluated solely on his potential as a former lottery pick.
Today, Smith is considered a key contributor to a team expected to compete against the best organizations in the Western Conference. That’s especially the case with the return of point guard Fred VanVleet and center Steven Adams, who missed all or most of last season due to injuries.
This season, Smith’s difference isn’t simply four previous years of experience. It’s four years of learning what it takes to become a champion.
“My mindset going into it (this season) doesn’t change,” Smith said during training camp. “I want to impact the game, whatever way I see fit, by being aggressive and being myself. I think if I just show the things I have been working on and my improvement, I think overall it will be a better year for me and the team.”
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ‘Find your niche’: In breakout season, Jabari Smith Jr. embraces his role
