What they're saying about Jabari Smith
Jabari Smith Jr., the former Auburn star forward, probably thought he was going No. 1 in the NBA Draft. So did many others. When that didn’t happen, he wasn’t thrilled and neither were fans at Auburn, where he electrified crowds during his sensation lone season with the Tigers.
But you know who was happy? The fans in Houston.
That’s because the Rockets gladly swooped in and picked Smith in the No. 3 spot so all’s well that ends well. And, he’s still getting paid a boatload of money.
Ten days have passed since the draft, and here’s a little bit of what folks have said about Smith the past couple of weeks. …
–NBA.com: “The Rockets have finished with the NBA’s worst record the last two seasons after reaching the playoffs in each of the previous eight seasons. After trading Harden and the rest of their established stars, Houston went all in on the rebuild, looking to develop young draft picks to bring the team back into contention. The Rockets will expect Smith to play immediately as they move on from (Christian) Wood, who led the team in scoring in each of the last two seasons. If the 19-year-old starts as expected, the team will field an extraordinarily young starting lineup with four players under 22.”
Smith will wear No. 1 for the Rockets … at least to start
–Rocketswire: “It’s unclear if Smith plans to keep No. 1 on a longer-term basis. He wore the No. 10 jersey at Auburn, which could become available whenever the tenure of veteran guard Eric Gordon comes to an end.”
–Thedreamshake: “Smith will be great at on-ball defense, which should be his biggest strength. Opposing players in college had a hard time driving by Smith. His wingspan is also 7’2” like Eason but Smith is still tallest amongst the two at 6’10”, and Smith’s father mentioned he isn’t done growing during his introductory press conference. The only thing Smith needs to improve on is defending the rim, as he only averaged 1 block per game. At 6’10”, it shouldn’t be a problem for him. Silas will probably position Smith as a help-side defender on defensive sets. This could provide better chances for Smith to make a play on the ball.”
Rookie of the Year potential for the former Auburn star?
–Andrew Lopez, NBA on ESPN: “”Jabari Smith will win the Rookie of the Year award. I know I said Banchero is best suited for immediate success, but Smith should put up better numbers.”
–Rocketswire: “Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr., the No. 3 overall draft pick of the 2022 first round, signed his first NBA contract, as did LSU forward Tari Eason (No. 17) and Kentucky guard TyTy Washington (No. 29). Those three are all on standard four-year rookie deals, with team options for the last two seasons and a qualifying offer that can be made after year four. The league has a set salary scale for rookie deals each year, depending on draft slot. Teams can pay from 80% to 120% of that number, though 120% is the industry standard. For Smith, Eason, and Washington, 120% of slot value would mean first-year salaries of $8.9 million, $3.4 million, and $2.2 million, respectively, with gradual raises for years two and three and larger bumps for the fourth-year options and qualifying offers.”
Smith’s addition was huge for Houston’s rebuilding efforts
–Jeff Borzello, ESPN: “I love everything the Rockets did over the past several days. Getting a first-round pick in the Christian Wood deal made a difference on Thursday. They nailed their three first-round picks and received two future second-round picks in the process. Smith should form a highly effective scoring duo with Jalen Green, and having Kevin Porter Jr., means Smith won’t have to shoulder a huge scoring load from Day 1.”
–Kelly Iko, The Athletic: ““By the end of this year’s (draft preparation) process, two things were clear: Smith was the top prospect on their big board, and regardless, Houston would be pleased with whoever was available to them out of Smith, (Chet) Holmgren and Banchero.”
Was Auburn’s Smith the best fit for the Rockets?
–Houston Chronicle: “I’m not going to do the thing people do when they claim the eventual outcome was their desire all along. In the months leading up to the lottery, I landed on Smith as my top choice for the Rockets. But by draft night, I wanted Banchero. I firmly believe he has the highest upside of the top three prospects. And when the news broke that Banchero was actually 6-foot-10.5 barefoot, I wondered aloud on Twitter how it was even possible for him to not be the consensus No. 1 overall pick. Seven-footers aren’t supposed to handle the ball like Banchero does.
But Smith has always been far and away the best fit for the Rockets, a belief I’ve held dating back to the beginning of the season when he first emerged as a contender for the first selection. I felt even more strongly about this belief as rookie center Alperen Sengun emerged over the course of last season, positioning himself as a potential franchise cornerstone.
Even if Banchero ends up being the superior player, the path forward with Smith is probably easier. His presence provides general manager Rafael Stone with roster options. It’s just simply easier to build a well-rounded team around elite shooters and defenders.”
