Rockets Marquee Games To Watch: Jabari Smith Jr. vs. Chet Holmgren

HOUSTON — Jabari Smith Jr.'s road to becoming the no. 3 pick by the Houston Rockets during the 2022 NBA Draft is well known.

Following an impressive freshman season at Auburn, Smith was a consensus top-two prospect entering the draft, but the Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder decided to draft the likes of Paolo Banchero and Chet Holmgren over his services.

Smith's first stop on his revenge tour will take place during the Rockets interconference match against the Magic on Nov. 7. Nineteen days later, Smith's next stop will take place on the 26th in a western conference game between the Rockets and Thunder inside the Toyota Center.

"I just got drafted to the NBA, and I am excited," Smith said during his introductory press conference in June. "Of course, I'll use the draft as a chip on my shoulders. But at the end of the day, I have this organization behind me. And none of that matters to me anymore."

Smith's match against Holmgren will be the first regular season contest between the two rookies.

Holmgren and Smith first NBA match took place during the 2022 Summer League tournament in Las Vegas, where the Rockets took a 90-88 victory over the Thunder inside the Thomas & Mack Center.

Smith had another rough night on the offensive end but found ways to impact the game beyond his scoring. He notched 12 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks in the win. Holmgren finished the game with a dozen points for Oklahoma City.

"He's [Holmgren] a really great player," Smith said following the win. "He is long and active. He's skilled in different ways where you have to guard him on all three levels, and I am looking forward to playing against him in the future."

The Rockets won their three-game regular season series against the Thunder during the 2021-22 campaign.

Kevin Porter Jr. led the Rockets to their first win of the season by leading Houston to a 124-94 win over Oklahoma City. He recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of steals during the late-October home win.

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