Rockets' Jabari Smith Ready to Make Second-Year Jump

Alongside fellow sophomore Tari Eason, the Rockets' Jabari Smith is ready to bounce off a spectacular Summer League performance to make a big improvement in his second NBA season.

Coming off his first season where he averaged 12.8 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game, Houston Rockets Jabari Smith Jr. is placed perfectly to make a large leap into his second year.

"The lanky 6-foot-10 forward planted a flag in Las Vegas by dominating the two Summer League games he played, then dedicated his offseason to putting last season behind him," NBA.com writes. "Having point guard Fred VanVleet on the floor to organize what looked too often like an AAU team run amok should serve both Smith’s game and that of fellow sophomore Tari Eason (also an All-Rookie second-teamer)."

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Without a true point guard on the roster this past season, Smith was lost in the shuffle between other young scorers Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., Alperen Sengun, and others. Still, he finished the season an All-Rookie second-teamer, coming into this season with even more fuel to launch his career as a Rocket.

Smith averaged a Summer League-high 35.5 points, seven rebounds and four assists over his two games in Summer League, and while rookie Cam Whitmore was the MVP of the league, Smith would have had a case for it if he had remained playing.

"It was a good opportunity to show what I worked on while playing in a different scenario," Smith said in an interview during Summer League. "When they [the Rockets] told me I was done, I thought it was a good and successful Summer League."

He now heads into this season with the confidence he played with in Summer League, along with a true point guard to lead what was a discombobulated offensive unit last season.