Jabari Smith Jr. is now teammates with Kevin Durant on the Houston Rockets. The latter used to be the former’s favorite player until a major decision changed his perception on the star forward.
The Rockets acquired Durant from the Phoenix Suns this offseason, adding an elite scorer to a squad that needed that aspect on their roster. They mainly got him in exchange for Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, who both helped Houston return to the playoffs last season.
Smith talked about Durant during a July 31 episode of The Young Man & The Three podcast. He had gotten lots of comparisons to Durant when he was coming into the NBA out of Auburn. Durant will clearly be taking minutes from Smith in some aspect, but he now makes them a legit title contender.
He joked that Durant was his favorite player growing up until he decided to leave the Thunder to join the Warriors. He said the Warriors decision ‘threw everybody off.’
“Honestly he was my favorite player honestly. Until he went to Golden State. That kind of threw everybody off. But that was my favorite player growing up. I wanted to be him, I wanted to emulate him, do what he does on the court and that’s just kind of what it was. I think everybody who was tall and could shoot kind of wanted to be KD. That’s just kind of what it was growing up. Like I used to look up to him a lot,” Smith said at the 2:56 mark.
What’s Next For Jabari Smith Jr., Rockets
GettyPHOENIX, ARIZONA – MARCH 02: Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns is pressured by Fred VanVleet #5 and Jabari Smith Jr. #10 of the Houston Rockets during the first half at Footprint Center on March 02, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
It will be intriguing to see how the Rockets handle the playing time between Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. The former will surely be in the starting lineup, while the latter might be in and out of the first unit.
That will depend on how Houston’s head coach Ime Udoka approaches moving the pieces around the roster. Smith was a full-time starter his first two seasons before this past season, where he came off the bench 18 times out of 57 games.
Smith averaged 12.2 points, seven rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He shot 43.8% from the field, including 35.4% from beyond the arc, and 82.5% from the free-throw line. In the playoffs, where he came off the bench the whole entire first-round series, he produced 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.
It’s clear that Houston is taking its chances of title contention very seriously, especially after landing Durant. Their signings of Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Josh Okogie help bolster the team’s depth as they navigate the hardships of next season.
The Rockets haven’t returned to the NBA Finals since 1995 and the West Finals since 2018. They were absent from the postseason for four consecutive years until returning this past season. Houston has a lot of potential to succeed, looking to dominate on both sides of the ball and make noise in the West.
Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. Had Stunning Admission About Kevin Durant