Jabari Smith Jr. struggled initially in the NBA, which raised legitimate questions.
Did the Houston Rockets make a mistake? Did the Orlando Magic know something?
After all, he was the clear favorite to be selected first in the 2022 NBA Draft, and Paolo Banchero was chosen at the last minute.
Smith finished his rookie year with flying colors and carried that momentum into Summer League, where he was absolutely unstoppable, scoring 35.5 points per game. As a sophomore, Smith was initially benched in the closing moments of games, but overall he had a good season, averaging 13.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 45.4 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from beyond the arc (on five attempts).
However, depending on who you ask, Smith may be the odd man out among Houston’s young players. Case in point is Ibrahim Baig of Fansided’s Space City Scoop.
“A closer look at his offense in 2023-24 shows that he attempted most of his shots from 25-29 feet (where he is shooting 35.0%), even more than from less than 5 feet (where he is shooting 65.4%).
While he has a decent shooting percentage, such a high shooting percentage from that distance is not conducive to the Rockets’ success, especially since his finishing seems to be a more effective tool. The advantage his ability to play on the perimeter provides in terms of spacing is minimized by sharing it with Dillon Brooks, who is inconsistent and inconsistent from the three-point line.
Since the Rockets are a mediocre three-point shooting team, it’s imperative for them to acquire better shots if they want to improve. Trading a stretch four and a strong defender like Jabari Smith Jr. is a realistic way to do that.
Overall, trading Jabari Smith Jr. for more scoring power would help the Rockets take the next step up the ladder to playoff contention. It would also create opportunities for exciting players like Tari Eason or Cam Whitmore to potentially become regulars and reach their potential.”
The author argues that a transfer of Smith would improve the Rockets’ poor shooting performance. And although they ranked 23rd in shooting from distance (35.2 percent), the Rockets solved the problem by signing shooters like Reed Sheppard, who led the nation in shooting from distance, and AJ Griffin, who shot nearly 40 percent of his shots from distance as a rookie.
Plus, the Rockets don’t need to trade Smith, a former top-3 draft pick, to get additional shooters. In fact, just a year ago, the front office signed Aaron Holiday and Reggie Bullock to minimum contracts, who were among the team’s best shooters (percentage-wise).
That’s not to say Smith is untouchable, just that this idea isn’t necessarily the best move for the franchise in the long run.
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