Surprising Jabari Smith Jr. ability to could unlock the Rockets' most versatile look

The Houston Rockets have built one of the most versatile rosters in the NBA. They leaned into that versatility to beat the Raptors on Wednesday, and that’s something they need to do all year.

The Raptors presented them with an obvious gameplan. The Rockets knew what to do as soon as they announced their opening lineup. If a 6’7” Collin Murray-Boyles is starting at the 5, what do you do?

You go big.

The Rockets kept Steven Adams out of the starting lineup, but they still found 20 minutes of action for him. Clint Capela saw an additional 6 minutes of playing time. With Alperen Sengun on the floor for 35 minutes, that’s a grand total of 51 minutes reserved for 5s. It’s a gameplan the Rockets should go to:

When appropriate.

Rockets have multiple ways to beat opponents

Alternatively, Smith Jr. has seen precisely 0% of his minutes at the 5 in 2025-26. He spent 12% of his time there last year, and 32% in 2023-24. So, his time as a smallball 5 has been rapidly declining on a year-to-year basis.

That’s fine. It shouldn’t be the first option for Smith Jr. either. That said, it should be an option. As the year goes, Udoka should put Smith Jr. at the center position when a matchup calls for it.

Sure, the Rockets managed a dominant-looking 139-121 win over the Raptors. Anyone who watched this contest would testify that it was closer than the score appeared. This was a game of runs. When the Raptors were able to outrun the Rockets, they strung together points.

That’s not to say that Udoka should have went small. He gambled that Houston’s size advantage would pay off, and it was a smart bet. The Rockets outrebounded Canada’s team by a whopping total of 53-22. Still, it would be fair to say that at times, Toronto looked capable of overcoming that size deficit with speed:

And the Rockets can go that way if necessary as well.

Rockets must keep an open mind

The emergence of Josh Okogie as a rotational piece is an interesting development. Udoka has been playing him as a 2, but he’s spent more career minutes at the 3.

Perhaps that’s a moot point unless the Rockets add guard depth. Suppose they do. Couldn’t a Smith Jr. / Kevin Durant / Okogie / (insert guard who can shoot and dribble here) / Amen Thompson lineup be deadly?

It won’t be the Rockets’ go-to option. Alperen Sengun has established that the team’s best lineups will invariably include him. Still, optionality is a crucial in the modern NBA. The Rockets have more than one way to beat opponents:

That’s something to lean into.