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Can Jabari Smith Jr. Become The Houston Rockets Defensive Anchor? Year 3 Expectations, Role & More

  • September 6, 2024



Can Jabari Smith Jr. Become The Houston Rockets Defensive Anchor? Year 3 Expectations, Role & More

Can Jabari Smith Jr. Become The Houston Rockets Defensive Anchor? Year 3 Expectations, Role & More

Host Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) is joined by weekly cohost and NBA Draft enthusiast Madison Moore (@MadManLeaks) to discuss expectations for Jabari Smith Jr. going into his third season, how Jabari can build off of his successful sophomore campaign, embracing more of a “defensive anchor” role this season, how he can best be utilized offensively and more.

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10 comments

  1. I think Jabari will take his leap, he isn’t piled with expectation in terms of growth in comparison to his cornerstone peers in Sengun & Green, but he has been a professional on the court thus far, & it wouldn’t be far fetched to assume growth from Bari this upcoming season

  4. Good pod guys. Jabari needs to get better at the role he has already been given before we even consider letting him take on more. I agree his defense and rebounding is the biggest area he can improve. I disagree with Madison. Jabari will not be a star. he can mature into a good role player, but I don't see stardom in his future. he simply doesn't have the basketball IQ necessary for stardom. I would like to see him get less steaky shooting and stronger in the rebound department plus learn how to hit clutch free throws.

  6. Fvv/jalen/dillon/jabari/sengun/ – reed/cam/amen/tari/adams— holiday/griffin/tate/jeff/landale … we have a great roster that can survive injuries.. hats off to stone

  7. You guys are spot on in my opinion. Jabari's success is tied to Sengun and Udoka's creativity. I am hoping Sengun does come out with an improved 3 pt shot and he and Jabari both play a switchable hybrid between the 4 and 5 spot. I want to see a lot of movement in the offense and given their depth you should be able to keep players rested. Being rested keeps the legs fresh and the shooting percentages high. What you give up is that you may not have your best players on the court all the time. I'm not sure this fits with Udoka's mind set plus players want to play. However, the rockets need to play to their strengths and looking at this roster I believe depth is now their greatest strength. I am going to predict that if they lower the starter's minutes and play a lot of players so they can lean into the three point shot which gives them an analytical advantage given the fresh legs. So I'm predicting they move into the top 10 for team 3 pt shooting percentage next year. The depth also lets them maintain high intensity on defense and add a lot of movement on offense. If Amen can hit 30%, Sengun35%, and Jabari 40% from three – who says we can't win a championship. I believe the most important things for winning are good defense(check), player versatility for match ups(mostly check), and three point shooting(where we need work). Given the salary cap they won't have this depth advantage long – for this coming year, however, I think its their best bet for winning.

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