Having just turned 21 in May, Houston Rockets Before Jabari Smith Jr. is one of the youngest players in the 2022 NBA draft class.
As the third overall pick, Smith has yet to reach Orlando’s level. Paolo Banchero And Oklahoma City‘s Chet Holmgrenwho were both chosen just before Smith.
But between his young age and a rapidly improving supporting cast, there’s hope Smith can make that type of leap heading into his third professional season.
In a new list presenting 10 promising candidates for the next 2024-25 season, CBS Sports’ Brad Botkin included Smith among several renowned prospects ready to take the plunge. His case:
The Rockets have a small army of candidates to jump. Amen Thompson it looks like a Andre Iguodala in progress. Cam Whitmore feels like a young person Corey Maggette. Jalen Green has the qualities to become an All-Star. Alpen Sengun is already impressive, and like Green, he’s only in his fourth season. But Smith, who is Houston’s most complete player, is the guy to watch closely.
Smith is already pretty good, but you have to look a little deeper into the cracks of the game to fully appreciate his value, unlike a guy like Jalen Green, whose scoring and shot creation are great but perhaps lack substance. Smith is pure substance, on both ends, and his shooting efficiency improved significantly (from 40% to 45% overall and from 30% to 36% from three-point range) from Year 1 to Year 2.
Smith’s growing confidence is remarkable. He’s looking to score more often and aggressively pursuing his own scoring opportunities. Going from 13 to 17 points per game seems entirely feasible, and given everything Smith does defensively, it’s starting to flirt with being the team’s best player.
Smith is expected to start at power forward again for the Rockets, who will slot him into a frontcourt between center Alperen Sengun and wing Dillon Brooks. To say the least, Smith is taking a similar leap to Sengun’s in his third season (third in 2023-24 Most Improved Player voting) would significantly improve the potential of this unit.
In his sophomore season, Smith averaged 13.7 points (45.4% shooting, 36.3% from 3-point range) and 8.1 rebounds in 31.9 minutes per game. All of those numbers are up from Smith’s 2022-23 rookie season, in which he averaged 12.8 points (40.8% shooting, 30.7% from 3-point range) and 7.2 rebounds per game.
Botkin’s full list, which also includes Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio, can be read on CBS Sports.
More: Jabari Smith Jr. Ranked as Houston’s Biggest X-Factor for 2024-25 Season
This article was originally published on Rockets Wire: CBS ranks Jabari Smith Jr. among top prospects to breakout in 2024-25 NBA draft
