Inside The Rockets

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

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

Jeremy Brener

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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.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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