Rockets' Jabari Smith Jr. is finally turning a corner

James Piercey

The Houston Rockets are finally getting production from Jabari Smith Jr. / Patrick McDermott/GettyImages

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.

James Piercey

James Piercey is the site expert for Space City Scoop, covering the Houston Rockets. He has a Master of Arts in Political Science as well as a Journalism diploma from the College of the North Atlantic. His work has been featured on TheDreamShake and various FanSided pages. He's also appeared on Sports 56's Real Sports Talk radio show and The Lager Line podcast. James has been watching the Rockets since Hakeem Olajuwon's prime was over. In his spare time, he makes music and watches wrestling with a slight sense of shame. A Rockets fan since 1997, James has seen everything - besides a Rockets championship. James is also a 3x East Coast Music Awards-nominated rapper, but music has taken a backseat to video games and wrestling as he navigates a midlife crisis.