Improvement of Jabari Smith Jr. Last Season Not Discussed Enough

The jumbo forward deserves more credit.

Apr 5, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) shoots the ball as Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) defends during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

When the Houston Rockets core six is normally discussed, you first hear players like Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green. The two 2021 draft picks are the key to the Rockets becoming contenders in 2024-25.

The players mentioned next typically are Tari Eason, a fan favorite, Amen Thompson, and Cam Whitmore after their exciting rookie seasons. The player normally mentioned last fair or not is Jabari Smith Jr. The 2022 lottery pick quietly improved in almost every area the previous season.

If you just watched the games and didn't look deeper into Smith's stats, you may not think there was much of a change from his rookie season to year two. But look closer and you will see improvement on both offense and defense.

In year two, Smith improved his points per game, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage by almost six percentage points, rebounds per game, and even slight improvement in assists and turnovers. His 36.3% 3-point accuracy was very encouraging, considering he also shot more 3-pointers a game in his second season.

Coming into the NBA, Smith Jr. was seen as one of the best 3-and-D players in the 2022 draft. After Smith's rookie season, some NBA analysts and fans started to write Smith off after he only shot 30.7 percent from beyond the arc. Smith, however, flipped the script in his second season, becoming one of the Rockets' best outside shooters.

The addition of Fred VanVleet last season instantly improved the Rockets' offense. Gone were the days of isolation-heavy basketball. VanVleet made everyone's life easier on the offensive end, which led to a more structured offense. Smith's offensive improvement proved the value of a player like VanVleet.

You'll notice even more improvement if you delve deeper into Smith's advanced stats. His offensive rating increased by over two points per game, and his defensive rating dropped from 120.4 to 113.8. While the entire Rockets team improved on the defensive end, Smith had one of the team's most significant defensive rating improvements.

Smith has shown improvement in his defense. Although he doesn't have high numbers of blocks or steals, he has demonstrated better defensive skills. There have been fewer instances of him being out of position, and with his increased strength, opponents haven't been able to overpower him in the post as they did in his rookie season.

The rising star showed that he is also a viable option as a small-ball center. During the Rockets' 11-game winning streak in March, Smith played a lot of small-ball center with the injury to Alperen Sengun. Smith's versatility is needed on the team. The only other player who can play both power forward and center is Jeff Green, who only plays limited minutes.

While Smith may not be the name you hear the most when talking about the Rockets, but his steady improvement in 3 and D ability makes him one of the team's most critical players.

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