Rockets Rookie Jabari Smith Jr. Downplays Summer Battles With Other Top Picks
LAS VEGAS — Jabari Smith Jr. felt so confident in his draft stock that he did not attend a pre-draft workout with any team beyond the second pick of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Smith was under the impression if the Orlando Magic passed on his talents, his name would not be on the draft board after the Oklahoma City Thunder made their selection at pick No. 2.
But the events inside the Barclays Center on June 23 came as a stunner to Smith. The Magic and Thunder took Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren with the first two selections, which resulted in Smith falling to pick No. 3 to the Houston Rockets.
Following the draft, Smith was thrilled to be joining the Rockets. He was happy to be achieving his dreams of playing in the NBA but irked by the idea that he fell outside the top two.
The draft motivated Smith ahead of his rookie campaign, which will begin Thursday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The Rockets begin their 2022 Summer League play against the Magic, featuring Smith's first match against Banchero on an NBA level.
"I am looking forward to playing everybody," Smith said following practice on Tuesday. "Honestly, it doesn't matter which team we are playing — I am just excited to be playing with my new teammates and organization. It's about getting out there and competing."
Smith admitted a part of his on-court drive in Las Vegas is to show the Magic and Thunder what they missed by passing on his services. But his top priority is to lead the Rockets to a summer league title.
Houston did not have a pre-draft workout nor a meeting with Smith but remained confident in their selection. General manager Rafael Stone and his staff completed their pre-draft evaluation on Smith by utilizing the nearly 200 games worth of film the franchise had at their disposal.
"I just want to go out there and play hard all week," Smith said. "It doesn't matter if I make a shot or miss. I want to make sure that I am out there competing, listening and learning.
"At the end of the day, all of this is new to me. I am not going to put too much pressure on myself. But I will have a chip on my shoulders. I am going out there to compete and play to win."
The Rockets drafted Smith following an impressive freshman year with the Auburn Tigers. He averaged 16.9 points while shooting 43 percent from the field, including 42 percent from behind the arc.
Smith will likely start in the frontcourt next to Usman Garuba and Tari Eason when the Rockets open their summer league schedule against the Magic. Tip-off is slated for 9 p.m. CT.
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