Rockets' Jabari Smith Jr. is finally turning a corner

The Houston Rockets roster a lot of young players. Historically, young players tend to be inconsistent. That shouldn't bode well for them.

Yet, there are the Rockets at 11-5. They've been one of the best teams in the NBA this year. When Alperen Sengun was struggling, Jalen Green was hot. Now that Green has cooled off, Sengun is picking up the slack.

Amen Thompson and Tari Eason are emerging as high-end contributors. In the middle of it all, there's Jabari Smith Jr. He's mostly been mediocre in 2024-25. Still, Smith Jr. is young and prone to inconsistency:

Lately, he's turning a corner.

Jabari Smith Jr. is elevating his game

Over his last 5 games, Jabari Smith Jr. is averaging 14 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

Those numbers don't knock your socks off? Fair enough. That said, Smith Jr. is shooting 56.8% from the field and 47.6% from long-range 

That's the key to his success.

The Rockets don't rely on Smith Jr. for gaudy stat lines. He's limited as a self-creator. Defensively, Smith Jr. is a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none. He can survive on the perimeter and offer some resistance on the backline.

That's good enough - provided Smith Jr. is efficient. He needs to be a knockdown three-point shooter to maintain his hold on his starting position.

Otherwise...

Jabari Smith Jr. is playing for his role

Tari Eason is right there.

The Rockets surely know this. Eason has been far more impactful than Smith Jr. in 2024-25. Eason's Box Plus/Minus (BPM) of 7.2 is one of the best marks in the NBA, whereas Jabari Smith Jr.'s BPM of -0.1 is (painfully) subpar.

That's fine. Eason feels tailormade for a sparkplug role. He could be a long-term reserve who impacts the game at a starting level. As a versatile forward, Eason could spend his career in the vicinity of 30 minutes per game off the bench.

That's a potentially fitting role for Eason. It won't make sense if Smith Jr. isn't a starting-caliber player. For much of 2024-25, he hasn't met that standard.

Over the last five games, he is. If Smith Jr. can continue on this trajectory, he could still be part of the Rockets' long-term vision. It's unlikely that he'll ever fit the conventional picture of a top-3 pick, but that's fine. As long as the Rockets are winning, and Smith Jr. is contributing, fans will be content with the status quo.

As long as it's consistent, of course.