Smith registered six points (2-4 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), 18 rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes during Wednesday's 110-101 win over the Thunder.
Smith dominated the glass Wednesday, hauling in a career-high 18 rebounds. Although he was quiet on the offensive end, Smith has been a much-improved player over the past two weeks, putting up borderline top-50 value in standard leagues. While this could be an opportunity to sell high, perhaps he is finally beginning to figure things out.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Sniffs double-double in loss
Rotowire
Smith logged 10 points (4-7 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals across 30 minutes during Saturday's 107-97 loss to the Lakers.
Smith came up one rebound shy of a double-double in the loss. The No. 2 overall pick in 2022 got off to a slow start, but he's picked up his production of late, posting 15.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 threes and 1.3 blocks over his last seven contests (32.6 MPG).
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Scores 15 points in loss
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Smith notched 15 points (6-14 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 1-2 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and one block across 32 minutes during Wednesday's 134-124 loss to the Nuggets.
Smith had his plate full on both ends of the court Wednesday since he had to deal with the frontcourt of Michael Porter and Nikola Jokic. He had a fair share of struggles on defense, but he still posted a decent stat line even when his shot wasn't entirely accurate. Smith remains prone to having quite a few ups and downs, which is expected from a second-year player, but the progress is noticeable compared to his rookie year. Smith has scored in double digits in six consecutive games and is averaging 16.0 points with 9.0 rebounds per game in that span.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Near double-double
Rotowire
Smith accumulated 18 points (6-10 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and one block over 27 minutes during Wednesday's 111-91 win over the Grizzlies.
Smith has finished one rebound short of a double-double in back-to-back games. Over his past three appearances, he's averaged 16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks in 30.3 minutes. It's certainly been a nice bounce-back week for the second-year forward after a three-game stretch in which he averaged just 7.7 points on 37.0 percent shooting. However, Smith isn't out of the woods yet and remains an inconsistent and unreliable fantasy option moving forward.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Posts 17 points in loss
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Smith ended Monday's 121-116 loss to the Warriors with 17 points (7-12 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal in 32 minutes.
Smith turned in another solid outing after a three-game shooting slump, and he's remained a critical piece of the defensive effort with consistent rebound totals. It's no surprise to see the Auburn product take on an enhanced role in his second season, and only an injury would keep him from being firmly entrenched in the starting lineup.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Goes for 13 points in win
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Smith notched 13 points (5-8 FG, 3-5 3Pt), four rebounds and one block in 22 minutes during Monday's 122-97 win over the Kings.
Smith failed to reach the 25-minute mark for the first time this season, but that was more due to the nature of the game instead of a poor outing from the second-year forward. Smith has looked good of late and has scored in double digits in five games in a row.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Team option exercised
Rotowire
The Rockets exercised Smith's 2024-25 team option Monday.
Smith will earn $9.77 million in 2024-25, and his rookie deal also contains a $12.35 million option for 2025-26 that would allow the Rockets to keep him around a fourth season. After an up-and-down rookie season, Smith is averaging 11.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 three-pointers and 1.3 steals in 32.3 minutes per game through the Rockets' first three contests of 2023-24, but he's shooting just 37.8 percent from the field and has yet to block a shot.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Comes close to double-double
Rotowire
Smith ended Sunday's 106-95 loss to the Warriors with 14 points (6-12 FG, 2-6 3Pt), eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in 34 minutes.
Smith is operating as Houston's fourth-best option on offense behind Jalen Green, Fred VanVleet and Alperen Sengun, but he stepped up in this one with VanVleet struggling (eight points, 2-13 FG). Smith has scored in double digits while coming close to completing a double-double in his last two outings, so he's trending up following a subpar showing in his regular-season opener.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Scores team-high 20 points
Rotowire
Smith posted 20 points (7-14 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds and a block across 24 minutes in Wednesday's 117-103 preseason loss to the Spurs.
Smith was one of two projected starters -- the other being Alperen Sengun -- who featured in the first unit in this one, and he responded by leading the team in scoring. Smith improved massively as the 2022-23 season progressed, and he should be in line to have a prominent role once again in 2023-24. Smith averaged 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a rookie, and he shouldn't have problems topping those numbers as a sophomore.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Excellent against New Orleans
Rotowire
Smith delivered 22 points (9-13 FG, 4-5 3Pt), nine rebounds, two assists and a steal across 24 minutes in Thursday's 120-87 preseason win over New Orleans.
Smith opened his preseason with a 14-point, seven-rebound effort against the Pacers, but he looked even better in this one and finished just one rebound away from a double-double. He showed steady progress as the 2022-23 season advanced, and he seems ready to take a significant leap in his second year in the league. He's penciled to open the season as the regular starter at power forward.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Productive in win
Rotowire
Smith totaled 14 points (4-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 5-5 FT), seven rebounds and one block in 23 minutes during Tuesday's 122-103 preseason win over the Pacers.
Smith saw plenty of work as a rookie last year, averaging 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds in 31.0 minutes per game over 79 appearances. He also had notable production during this year's Summer League and maintained his results during Tuesday's preseason opener. The 20-year-old should continue to see considerable playing time once the regular season begins.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Goes for 38 points
Rotowire
Smith poured in 38 points (13-25 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 9-10 FT), seven rebounds, six assists, a block and a steal over 32 minutes during Sunday's 113-101 Summer League win over the Pistons.
Smith with another offensive clinic in Summer League, this time doing most of his damage in the mid-range. Smith was getting any look he wanted, whether it be at the rim or beyond the arc, and he was converting at a high clip. The second-year pro has displayed an improved ability to take advantage of mismatches offensively in this year's Summer League, and seems more comfortable and assertive on that end. It remains to be seen whether Smith will be shut down for the remainder of Summer League, but it should not come as a surprise if he is.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Erupts for 33 points
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Smith produced 33 points (8-18 FG, 3-8 3PT, 14-17 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and one block in 31 minutes of Friday's 100-99 Summer League win over Portland.
Smith got off to a slow start, but he slowly worked his way into the game before completely taking over. In one of the craziest moments of the Summer League so far, Smith hit a wild three-pointer with 0.6 seconds left to steal the win from Portland at the buzzer. If Friday was any indication, Smith could be ready to make a leap in his second season.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Hits for 20 in finale
Rotowire
Smith logged 20 points (6-11 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 7-8 FT), five rebounds and one block in 31 minutes during Sunday's 114-109 win over Washington.
The 19-year-old rookie led a balanced attack that saw seven different Houston players score in double digits, including all five starters. Smith scored at least 12 points himself in 11 straight games to close out his first NBA season, averaging 15.2 points, 8.0 boards, 1.5 assists, 1.2 threes and 1.0 blocks over that stretch and giving a glimpse of the upside that made him the third overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Another double-double on ledger
Rotowire
Smith had 16 points (6-14 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 4-5 FT), 13 rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal over 36 minutes during Tuesday's 124-103 win over Denver.
Smith has just one single-digit scoring effort in the last month, averaging 15.7 points and 8.7 boards over that span. He's been a reliable source of production around the rim of late as well, posting double-doubles in four of his last five games while also averaging a block per contest over that span. The rookie first-round pick has displayed signs of growth in the second half of the season and could be an intriguing breakout candidate in 2023-24. However, he continues to be plagued by poor shooting from deep, connecting on just 19.0 percent of his attempts from three over the last six games.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Double-double in Monday's loss
Rotowire
Smith produced 14 points (6-13 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal in 30 minutes during Monday's 137-115 loss to the Knicks.
Seven different Rockets scored in double digits on the night, but Smith was the only one to record a double-double. The rookie forward has 13 of them on the season, including five in the last 11 games -- a stretch in which Smith is averaging 17.3 points, 8.2 boards, 1.9 assists, 1.8 threes, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks. The third overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft could be offering a preview of a Year Two breakout with his closing run.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Scores 20 in blowout loss
Rotowire
Smith finished with 20 points (9-16 FG, 2-4 3Pt), eight rebounds and one block over 29 minutes during Friday's 151-114 loss to the Grizzlies.
Smith saw 29 minutes against the Grizzlies despite the Rockets being down 31 points at the half and was quite effective. The rookie shot 56 percent from the field and notched the second-most points for Houston. After struggling earlier in the year, he's reached double-digit scoring in 11 of the past 12 games, averaging 16.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 combined steals-plus-blocks.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Posts double-double in loss
Rotowire
Smith produced 17 points (7-15 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-4 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal across 39 minutes during Monday's 121-108 loss to the Warriors.
Smith scored in double figures for the ninth time over his past 10 appearances and logged his fourth double-double during that stretch. In March (11 games), the rookie first-round pick is averaging 15.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals-plus-blocks in 33.5 minutes.
Smith produced 11 points (5-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt), eight rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 29 minutes during Friday's 114-112 win over New Orleans.
Smith was relatively passive on the offensive end Friday but landed the killer blow, a dagger three-pointer from distance. After a disappointing start to his career, Smith has come alive over the past two weeks, putting up top-60 value thanks to averages of 17.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 triples and 1.6 combined steals and blocks. Perhaps more importantly, he has connected on 54.7 percent of his shots from the field, well up from his 40.4 percent mark on the season.
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Rockets' Jabari Smith: Impressive play continues
Rotowire
Smith registered 24 points (9-11 FG, 5-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal across 36 minutes during Monday's 111-109 victory over Boston.
Smith logged his third straight double-double in what has no doubt been his best string of games so far this season. Granted, he won't shoot this well every night, but the rookie forward has been much more consistent with his scoring efforts lately. So far in March, Smith is averaging 16.6 points on 55.8 percent shooting from the field.
