2. Jabari Smith- Houston Rockets
Going into the draft, many saw the Auburn prospect as the number one pick and it was somewhat of a shock when he fell to three. Orlando isn’t regretting the decision though and Jabari Smith for the most part has blended in well with his teammates in Houston.
Smith doesn’t have the ridiculous stats that Banchero has. He is only averaging ten points a game and 6.9 rebounds on a 31.5% clip from the field and a concerning 30.4% from three. However, much of that is due to his significantly less usage rate.
Houston has a backcourt of Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. and both love to have the ball in their hands, much to the detriment of the young rookie’s development. The Rockets are in full-on tank mode so surely they will have a talk with Green and Porter Jr. and emphasize the need to put the ball in Smith’s hands and allow him to get the shot attempts he has been lacking. Banchero has been taking between 8-17 shots per game (usually closer to the latter) while Smith Jr. is only getting 3-10. That has to change for the Rockets’ rookie.
He has been solid on the defensive end with a 117.4 defensive rating and that will only get better with more minutes. Even if the offensive stats aren’t where he wants them to be, his defensive effort will more than makeup for some of it in the franchise’s eyes.
Smith Jr. has the potential to be a franchise-altering player, but at a minimum, he will be a solid 3-and-D player who will have a long career in the NBA.