'I Love It': Jabari Smith Jr. Taking Pride in Becoming Rockets' Secondary Scoring Option

Jabari Smith Jr. has increased his scoring over the previous seven games, taking pride in becoming the Houston Rockets' secondary option.

Apr 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) shoots / Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

HOUSTON — Jalen Green has taken the lead as the Houston Rockets' top scorer since helping the team put together a 13-2 record in March.

He was averaging 27.7 points on 40.8 percent shooting from the field while brushing off criticisms that he was an inefficient scorer. But since the calendar flipped to April, Green's scoring has taken a slight dip due to the attention he has received from the opposing team.

The Rockets have relied upon several players who could help fill in the scoring void, including Jabari Smith Jr. The second-year forward has scored 15 or more points in five of Houston's previous seven games, where he has averaged 18.1 points on .472/.412/.815 shooting splits.

Apr 2, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) shoots / Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

"I love it, I feel like it helps me," Smith said. "When they double Jalen. When they double Alpi [Alperen Şengün]. When they double Fred [VanVleet] in the pick-and-roll, it opens up my game and opportunities for me off the ball. It's good."

Smith's second-year stats are slightly better when compared to his rookie year. But his recent performances as the Rockets' second leading scorer since March 27 illustrate his growth throughout the 2023-24 season.

He is starting to showcase the 3-point shooting that made him a highly sought-after prospect coming out of Auburn University ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft.

Despite the Rockets' 11-game winning streak ending against the Dallas Mavericks on March 31, Smith put together one of his best scoring performances of the season.

Smith scored 28 points on 9 of 14 shooting from the field, 5 of 7 from behind the arc. It marked his 13th game of the season of scoring 20 or more points. He scored a career-best 34 points amid a seven-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

"A lot of times, it is harder for opposing big men to guard him than it is for him to guard them," coach Ime Udoka said. "He has the space and can get off any kind of shot he wants. It is something we will keep taking advantage of."