Rockets' Jabari Smith Jr.: Highest Year 2 Ceiling?

Jabari Smith Jr. is hoping to continue growing with the Houston Rockets this season.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. as he goes into his second season.

As the No. 3 overall pick, Smith Jr. struggled to adapt from the college game to begin the year, but he slowly got into a rhythm as the season drew out.

Bleacher Report was impressed with his progress, and declared him as the player with the fourth-highest ceiling from the 2022 NBA Draft class.

“At 6'10" with a 7'1" wingspan, Smith is bigger, which opens up defensive possibilities, including the option to play some small-ball 5," Bleacher Report writes. "His Year 1 numbers on that end suggest a little more upside too. In 2022-23, he averaged 6.6 defensive rebounds and 1.1 blocks per 75 possessions. If he shoots the way his 42.0 three-point percentage from college suggests he can, he could be a dynamic three-and-D weapon."

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Only Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Paolo Banchero ranked higher than Smith.

Some of that potential was flashed in July's Las Vegas Summer League showcased. He averaged a Summer League-high 35.5 points, seven rebounds and four assists over the previous two games.

If he can play like he did 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.