4 Rockets who will benefit from Jabari Smith Jr.'s absence

The Houston Rockets had a tough time with the Celtics on Friday.

It wasn't surprising. The Celtics are the NBA's defending champions. Meanwhile, the Rockets were severely undermanned with Amen Thompson, Tari Eason, and Jabari Smith Jr. sidelined.

Thompson will be back on Sunday. Eason's status is (concerningly) ambiguous, but he should be back soon. Unfortunately, Smith Jr. is scheduled to miss 4-to-8 weeks due to a broken hand.

The Rockets will have to weather his absence. It will be a challenge. Moreover, nobody wants anybody to get injured. Still, at least some players on the roster will find some benefits from his absence.

Here are four of them.

1. Tari Eason

Earlier in the season, I advocated for Eason to replace Smith Jr. in the starting lineup. Since then, Smith Jr.'s play has merited a starting position. Even if Eason remains a more impactful player, Smith Jr.'s superior shooting makes him a better fit with the rest of the starters.

Troublingly, Eason is shooting 31.5% from long-range this year. It's a far cry from the 36.0% he shot across 22 games in 2024-25. If Eason is going to shine in Smith Jr.'s absence, he needs to creep closer to his previous mark.

Otherwise, he only needs to be Tari Eason. As long as he brings his patented effort and intensity, this is an opportunity for him to showcase his talents. Nobody should benefit from Smith Jr.'s absence more than Eason.

2. Cam Whitmore

Whitmore doesn't play the 4. Still, when a major rotation player is injured, minutes open up for everyone else. That's exactly what happened for Whitmore against the Celtics.

The timing was fortuitous. Whitmore had just been complaining about his role. How did he do in the 34 minutes of action he saw against Boston?

Not well. Whitmore had 11 points on 4/17 shooting from the field and 1/9 shooting from downtown. The tunnel vision that's plagued him since the draft was apparent.

It's worth noting that a game against the defending champions isn't a fair first test. Whitmore will get more opportunities while Smith Jr. is out, and he should be able to do more with them than he did last night.

Otherwise, he may struggle to find opportunities again.

3. Amen Thompson

Perhaps Smith Jr.-for-Eason was never the right adjustment for the Rockets. Others have suggested that Thompson should be inserted into the starting group for Jalen Green.

In all likelihood, he'll be inserted in Smith Jr.'s absence. Ime Udoka is likely to continue leaning on Eason as a bench sparkplug. Thompson has typically been a de facto starter in the event of injuries.

It will be interesting to see how that pans out. Thompson is a less intuitive fit next to Sengun - the combined shooting between that pair is weak. That said, Thompson just has a way of making winning plays. The Rockets' net rating might be higher with him in Smith Jr.'s place.

That could make for some difficult conversations. The Rockets won't have to choose between Smith Jr. and Thompson - they're perfectly compatible. That said, if the numbers dictate that he should be starting moving forward, he'll have to replace someone.

4. Jae'Sean Tate

Arguably, this is more of a benefit to the organization. This should be an opportunity to showcase Tate for a midseason trade.

Against the Celtics, Tate was not statistically impressive - in fact, he finished with 0 points. If you watched the game, you know he demonstrated his usefulness. Tate played with tremendous energy and guarded multiple positions in his 18 minutes.

Still, some more offensive production would be optimal. Tate won't lead the team in scoring, but he can usually find opportunities to drive and score around the basket.

With Smith Jr. out, those opportunities will increase dramatically.