Rockets' Jabari Smith Jr. Beginning to 'Figure Things Out'

Jabari Smith Jr. is looking to grow even more with the Houston Rockets in his second season.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 13, 2023

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Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. is hoping to parlay his late-season success as a rookie and his Summer League showcase to build momentum going into his second NBA season.

He averaged a Summer League-high 35.5 points, seven rebounds and four assists during his two-game Las Vegas showcase.

The growth he showed during the end of the year and Summer League helped CBS Sports place him at No. 92 in its top 100 rankings going into the season.

Jabari Smith Jr. Pascal Siakam Raptors — Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

"Smith went through the usual rookie struggles on a rudderless Houston squad to begin last season," CBS Sports writes. "But he began to figure things out toward the end of the year. He scored in double-figures in 19 of his final 20 games, averaging nearly 16 points and eight rebounds over that stretch on 47/37/78 shooting splits. That finish, plus a brief, dominant stint at Summer League, set the stage for what should be a much more efficient and productive 2023-24 season with the new-look Rockets."

If he can play like he did towards the end of the season and in Las Vegas, Smith could be a candidate for the league's Most Improved Player award ... which also happens to be a goal of his coming into the season.

"I want to strive to win the Most Improved Player award," Smith said on The Bradeaux & Will Show. "I feel like I've been working so hard this summer, why wouldn't I try to get that award? If I had that success, I know our team would have that success."

Smith is set to begin training camp with the rest of the Rockets on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

Published Sep 13, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.